Heterochromia
by EverlastingxSong
Summary: She was the pieces, the vines, the chains. She was the epitome of everything he hated, because she was everything he would never allow himself to be. And for her, all she wanted... was to set him free. ZeroxOC
1. Deeper Than You'd Think

**Disclaimer : No, I don't own Vampire Knight.**

**A/N :**

Yo! (:

Mm, I don't really know what to say, except a big "sorry" to those who know me. xD I mean, I never actually PLANNED to post this up until much later, but I was catching up on the, like, three chapters of VK that I missed, and I got so angry. Not that I don't usually get angry when reading VK, but that's not the point.

I felt like if I didn't post this up, I was going to break all the pencils in my house. And all the wooden chopsticks.

So I posted this up. Hurray~? OTL.

AND OH, LORD. Okay, I know that some people spell Zero's surname as "Kiryuu" or "Kiryu" and that others spell it as "Kiriyuu" and etc. There are just too many different versions swimming around, and I'm going to be honest. It pisses me off, 'cause I know I can't please everyone. I swear, someone's going to tell me I'm spelling his name wrong. BUT NSOBNOWEEW. Sorry, guys. Please just bear it. I go with the way I'm most comfortable using or spelling.

But other than that...

I hope you guys enjoy!

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><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER ONE;**

_"Deeper Than You'd Think"_

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><p>I crouched down, my untied and large black trench coat spreading out onto the floor around me as I did so. I frowned slightly as I watched the little boy in front of me cry, his hiccups wracking his petite body. He was so vulnerable, so defenceless. A child only three or four years old, and yet, he had to experience such a horrifying event. He held his fisted hands in front of his eyes as the tears fell rapidly down his golden-tanned cheeks, his nose dripping lightly.<p>

"Don't cry," I murmured softly. Gently, I reached out and pulled his arms away from his face. His wide, innocent green eyes stared up at me, plagued with a fear that I knew came from the depths of his heart. He was young and he might not have completely understood what had happened, but it didn't mean his eyes didn't see what they saw, that his ears didn't hear what they heard. Wiping his cheeks to get rid of his tear trails and then pulling out a handkerchief from the pocket of my coat, I cleaned his face for him. Unfortunately, it seemed futile, as more and more tears fell down. "I'll talk you home to your parents, okay?"

"Mama and Papa?" the boy asked me, his wide tear-filled eyes staring up at me. Those jade orbs lit up at the sound of his beloved parents, and his voice held a tone of hopefulness that was more than just obvious.

Nodding, I smiled at him and then straightened out of my crouch before leaning down, my arms stretching out to gather the boy into my arms. He, too, raised his arms hopefully, wanting to be carried the same way his parents would always hold him. Easily lifting him into my arms, I lightly bumped my forehead with his, letting it rest there for a brief moment. "Smile, okay? Your parents wouldn't want to see you crying."

"No?" he questioned, a look of confusion on his face. When I shook my head at him, he blinked at me for a couple of short seconds before a smile curled up onto his young face, innocence and pureness radiating off of him in waves.

The sound of footsteps was heard, a familiar and unfamiliar presence making themselves known to me. I was already aware of who they were and what was going to happen next. However, I decided to ignore them for now, and I turned on my heels, wanting to find the boy's parents. I began walking around, my eyes peeled for anyone who might look like the boy. He, too, turned his head around in search for his parents.

Louder steps as they came closer and closer. They were moving fast—incredibly so. I didn't expect anything less. And then a familiar voice called out, sounding both urgent and incredulous. Hearing that slightly husky voice made my heart beat a harder thump, and a smile unconsciously pulled at my lips.

"Wait, Zero, that's—"

There was a click, and I felt the cool tip of a gun's barrel pressing against the back of my head. Though I knew what could happen if his finger pulled the trigger, there was no fear inside me. My stomach knotted, but not at what situation I was in, but in anticipation at the faces I knew I'd see if I turned around.

"What do you think you're doing?" His voice was smooth, deep but not yet a bass, and the words were spoken in a tone that was glacial. I could feel his eyes burning into the back of my head, and I could imagine what type of emotions were in those eyes—hatred, disgust, bloodlust.

The little boy took a peek over my shoulder at what was going on, noticing that I had stopped walking. His eyes widened upon seeing the gun and the men, and he instantly cowered. Burying his face into the crook of my neck, he gripped at the front of my jacket tightly, whimpering, "Nee-chan..."

"It's okay," I told him, holding him tightly. "He won't hurt you, I promise." Acting on habit, I reached up and lightly stroked his hair.

"Really?" the boy whispered, his small body still shaking.

"Yup!" I said brightly, reassuringly. I could feel the thumping of the boy's heart loud and clear, the scent of his blood wafting up towards my nose. Besides from the normal aching in my throat, there wasn't any desire for the child's blood, and I was clearly aware of _why_.

"Answer me," the freezing, yet somehow melodic voice of the male commanded. It was a grim voice, a solemn one, and I could hear the underlying sorrow that he tried so desperately to cover up.

Was it because I understood?

A different voice spoke this time. It was the mildly husky voice from earlier, deeper than the first by just a tad. It was rougher, more rugged, but not in a way that made him sound cruel or harsh. "Put the gun down, Zero. You're misunderstanding the situation entirely. Besides, you're scaring the kid. Look at him; he looks like he's going to cry all over again."

The gun didn't budge. "Tell me why I shouldn't pull the trigger."

"Because you're jumping to conclusions," the other male replied, sighing. "The gun, Zero. Put it away."

"You're too lenie—" Lavender eyes met my own as I turned my head just slightly to look at him over my shoulder, and his sentence broke off. Narrowed eyes full of revulsion, and then he muttered, "Your eyes..."

"Strange, aren't they?" I commented, my lips twisting up into an amused smile. I took in the sight of the man in front of me—soft strands of hair a beautiful shade of silver, falling into equally gorgeous amethyst eyes. Those eyes, though narrowed and holding such hateful emotions, held a lingering misery behind them so deep, I felt like I was drowning as I looked into them. His pale skin was flawless, stretching over sharp and angular features. His lips were pulled into a grimace, and he towered over me like a giant. Despite how he looked at me, I couldn't help but notice how he was one of the most gorgeous people I had ever seen in my life, vampire or not.

A man with wavy, messy tawny hair spoke. His hazel eyes were watchful, but the frown in them was evident. The scowl on his face matched the one in his voice, and he folded his arms across his chest. "You understand now, don't you, Zero?"

Slowly, reluctantly, Zero let his arm fall, the gun at his side. He didn't lift his finger off the trigger though, and I knew that he was just waiting for me to give him a reason to shoot. His eyes flickered to his former pupil-mate, and then darted to land on me. "A Tashiro," he muttered, his eyebrows furrowing slightly as he looked at me.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the other male interrupted before a word could leave my lips. With a grim voice, he asked, "What are you doing here, Ivy?"

Turning to look at him, I grinned at him teasingly. "It's been a year, Kaito, and that's how you say hi?"

Those hazel eyes narrowed. "Ivy—"

"Yoshito? Yoshito!" a woman's desperate shouting caught our attention. She had tears running down her face, and she was definitely very pretty despite her age. Her voice, choked and hoarse, called out the same name over and over again. Her short hair was messy, panic clear in her features.

"Mama!" the child in my arms exclaimed, sounding relieved and excited. The most amazing smile appeared on his face, and he looked up at me with enthusiasm, pointing at the woman. "Nee-chan, it's Mama!"

"Then off we go to meet your mama!" I glanced over at them briefly before I hastily made my way over to the woman, who met me halfway upon hearing her son's cry. I noticed, before I had turned away from them, that the only reason Zero didn't have a grip on me to make sure I didn't run away was because Kaito had clutched his arm in a restraining manner.

"Thank you," the woman sobbed as she took him from me. His warmth disappeared, and I missed it immediately. Although it wasn't extremely cold during this time of year, I still enjoyed the heat that he had provided. It reminded of me of what it felt like to hold Arashi. My mind immediately flashed to him, my heart hurting as the feeling of hollowness invaded me. I wanted to see them again, even though it had only been a month since I had left.

Shaking my head, I smiled at them. "No, you don't need to thank me."

The woman, still hugging Yoshito close to her, grabbed one of my hands with her spare one. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. I don't know how I can possible repay you, young lady."

A soft breeze blew by, and I brushed away the strands of dark auburn that got in my face. The wind was blowing south, which was thankfully in the opposite direction of the dark alley where many vampires liked to gather.

"How about getting some safely, if you want to repay me?" I grinned at her brightly. "I'd rather you get home with your family than get another sort of compensation." I didn't allow her to respond as I looked at Yoshito. "It's dangerous at night, so don't go wandering around, okay? This applies to you as well, ma'am."

"Yes," she nodded, the gratitude and relief still in her eyes. "Thank you again. I'll keep your words in mind, definitely."

After a few more pleasantries and a hug from Yoshito, I watched their retreating backs as they hurried west, back to where I assumed the father would still be shouting the name of his child, frantically trying to find him. They disappeared from my sight quickly, despite having enhanced senses.

With the duo gone, I pivoted on my heels and clasped my hands behind my back as I made my way back towards where the two vampire hunters had been scrutinizing my every move. I blinked at the two of them, noticing how similar their expressions were on the outside, and how different they must have been feeling on the inside.

My eyes lingered on the silver-haired vampire hunter, taking in the straight strands and the way he didn't seem to relax. His eyes were tight and cold, but underneath it all, there was sorrow. A deep, deep sorrow. It made me feel like I was looking into a pool of endless despair—it was depressing.

"What?" he asked in a cool voice, his eyes meeting mine.

"Nothing," I brushed off his question, letting my eyes fall from his face. I definitely wasn't going to tell him what I had been thinking, and who I had been comparing him to in the back of my mind. So alike, yet so different...

"You're not answering my question from earlier, Ivy," Kaito's eyes met mine squarely. "What are you doing here?"

My response was light and quick. "The Association sent me, of course. I'm excited to attend Cross Academy, to be honest. I can't imagine you acting as a student teacher, Kaito. How are you dealing with your fans?"

"Don't joke around," he responded. Everything about him was solemn. "We got a notice they were sending someone, but why _you_? And why is it _just_you?"

I blinked. "Are you sure that we should be talking about this here?" Although it was eight-thirty in the evening, quite a number of people were still roaming the streets. People chattered and laughed as they passed us.

A group of girls from a public school in this town giggled and whispered as they slowly walked by us, the objects of their gossip being the two men in front of me. Their eyes lingered on the tall pair, and I couldn't help but laugh softly at it. I had no doubt that if I had been a regular girl living a regular life, I would've been the same as they were if I saw someone as breathtaking as Zero or Kaito.

It was obvious that Kaito hated how I was right. "Let's go inside." He began heading back towards the apartment complex that I had originally been waiting at, but he paused briefly as he placed a hand on my head, ruffling my hair just as he passed. "You didn't grow taller at all, Ivy."

For a moment, I was stunned. I wasn't sure whether to be angry at how he was acting so familiar with me, to be offended that he was making another jab at my height, or to be happy because it felt like nothing changed between the two of us. By the time I was out of my stupor and was chasing after them, their two broad backs had already disappeared into the apartment. I stayed outside the building for another moment to compose my thoughts before realizing it really shouldn't even matter, and then scurried inside to catch up with them. Although they weren't there, I knew that they were climbing the stairs.

When I had reached the third floor, where their footsteps had stopped, I blinked at the hallway I was in. It was just like the others—soft beige walls, dark emerald carpeting, subtly elegant lights attached to the walls that gave off a dim glow, and apartment doors made of what seemed like walnut. Number plates were next to the doors on the wall.

Remembering how long Kaito's footsteps travelled and also catching their scents, I made my way down the hall until I reached the third-last door, which was opened slightly. It allowed the scent of the trio inside to radiate towards me. There was silence behind the doors, and I wondered what kind of expressions they all had on.

Even though I knew they were all waiting for my entrance, I still knocked slightly on the door. A heartbeat, two, and then a sigh. Zero's unhappy and unwilling voice answered, "Come in."

"Sorry for the intrusion," I piped, smiling as I pushed the door open wider to let myself in. I blinked as I looked around the room, taking notice of how it was relatively empty. It didn't give off a welcoming feeling, but it wasn't a room that seemed to tell the world to get out, either. The scent of Zero filled the room entirely, and it hit me in full force as I entered.

Kaito was sitting on a chair at the foot of the bed, leaning his forearms against his knees. Zero, on the other hand, sat on the bed with his back against the wall. One of his legs had been pulled halfway up to his chest, his arm resting on it, while his other leg was spread out in front of him. The third person in the room, who had been standing at the window next to the bed, greeted me instantly.

"Ivy-chan!" I saw a trail of straw-coloured hair behind a tall frame, and then I felt strong arms wrapping around me in a warm embrace. The older man lifted me easily off the ground, and I let out a small yelp of surprise, instantly wrapping my arms around his neck, before laughing as he twirled me around. "It's been so long. I'm so glad to see you again!"

"I saw you two days ago!" I exclaimed, though my voice held no objection to it. After another twirl around, Kaien set me down onto the floor. His eyes were sparkling as he looked at me, his carefree and fatherly aura surrounding him like a cape.

Kaien waved that fact off dismissively. Beaming, he said, "I see that you've reunited with Kaito-kun and Kiriyuu-kun once again."

Nodding, I smiled, opening my mouth to respond. Zero's cold, impassive voice intervened before I could say anything, though. "We didn't 'reunite'."

The meaning behind his words made Kaien blink at the silver-haired male, and then his light eyes turned down to look at me. I gave him an almost nonexistent shake of the head, and I saw the emotion that flickered in his eyes before he composed himself.

"Of course," Kaien agreed. Correcting himself, he looked down at me. "Well, in any case, I see that you've met Kiriyuu-kun."

"Yup," I agreed. I whirled around to face the male with the most gorgeous lilac eyes I had ever seen, though they held such horrible emotions in them. "I realized I never formally introduced myself—I'm Tashiro Kaori. I've always wanted to meet you, and I'm so glad that I finally got the chance. You've had the Association roaring for quite some time now." I had bowed ninety degrees while introducing myself, and upon finishing my sentence, I straightened myself out. I beamed brightly at him, though he looked at me with hatred burning in his eyes.

His eyes locked with mine. "How is it that you, a vampire, is still holding the Tashiro name?"

A pain hit me in the chest, and the smile I had on my face dimmed down a notch.

"Kiryuu-kun! Don't say such a cruel thing!" Kaien chided, also hearing the implications behind what Zero had said.

"No, it's okay. It's surprising, isn't it? The fact that I'm alive is something that shocked many people, and to think that I haven't been disowned yet..." I shook my head as I looked at him. "It's something I still don't _quite_understand."

Kaito's voice rang out in the room, despite the quietness he spoke with. "The Tashiro family... One of the highest possible clans when it comes to vampire hunters. It's ironic, I suppose. But you should know, Ivy, just as well as I do why you're still here."

"Do I?" I murmured softly, thinking back to what had happened, five years ago. It was obvious that Kaito didn't know the full story, as nobody outside of the Tashiro family did. My eyes wandered to Kaien, however, and then I remembered that he had also been there when it occurred. The Tashiro family and Kaien. The only people who knew what really happened.

Kaito's eyes narrowed. "What—"

"I'm surprised that you knew right away, though," I interrupted Kaito, addressing Zero. I blinked my eyes at him. "The eyes gave me away, didn't they?"

"Don't joke with me," Zero responded, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Lydia doesn't have the same eyes," I told him, keeping the smile on my face despite the way he looked at me. Thinking of my older sister made my heart hurt—how was she doing? Was she still causing havoc everywhere she went? "She hates how she doesn't, though. She thinks it's a disappointment."

The look in his eyes told me that he clearly didn't care what my sister thought. Ignoring what I had said, he pointed out, "Your name isn't Ivy."

"Ivy is—"

"A nickname that the people who grew up with her gave her, due to the situations in which we found her," Kaito interrupted Kaien, not wanting to hear the older man's long rant. "It's become a habit, and it caught on with many others."

Kaien pouted at the younger man with wavy hair. "That was cruel, Kaito-kun. I wanted to tell Kiriyuu-kun the full story!"

"Save it for another time," Kaito retorted, a scowl on his face. "We aren't here to discuss names."

"Right," I approved. I looked at Kaien over my shoulder, then at Kaito, and finally my eyes rested on the vampire hunter in front of me. Beaming, I rocked back lightly on her heels. "I'll be in all your hands soon, so I hope that you all take good care of me."

Kaien's expression mirrored mine. "I will take _amazing_care of you indefinitely, Ivy-chan! To think that you'd be attending my school, it makes me so happy to think about! I'm so proud of you!"

"What class are you going to be in?" Zero's eyes were dark. "Night or Day?"

"Night, of course," I responded immediately. "Though I'll probably be wandering around during the day as well. Is that okay, Kaien? I mean, I know that it's a rule for students to always stay in their respective dorms until classes start, but—"

Kaien finished the sentence off for me, a small and understanding smile on his face. "But you're a special case, just like Kiriyuu-kun. I'm sure that since it's you, Ivy-chan, it'll be fine. Besides, I'm sure that you're a vampire hunter before a student, correct? I just hope that my lovely Day Class students won't cause too much of a racket if they see you during the day."

"Why," Kaito started with a scowl, "do you need to be in the Night Class? Ivy, do you understand your situation? The Association should never have sent you."

"And why not?" I turned around to face the man I had known for all my life. His body was tense, his eyes igniting with a fire. It was clear that he was angry and agitated, but his voice was still calm when he spoke. In a way, that was what made it seem more frightening.

Darkening hazel eyes met my own topaz and forest ones, his gaze unwavering. "Are you _trying_to stir trouble? You could get yourself killed. Don't Lydia and Satoshi know about this?"

My gaze, too, didn't falter. "I trust you, as well as my friends and comrades around me. I'm sure that Lydia and Satoshi do, too. Don't take me so lightly, Kaito. I'm not a child anymore." Was that how he still saw me? I supposed that, in a way, it was unavoidable. After all, growing up together had its advantages as well as disadvantages.

"Don't be naive, Ivy." His eyes narrowed. "I'm starting to wonder if you know what being here and going to Cross Academy means."

"I can take care of myself," I protested. The smile that had been on my face just minutes ago had faded entirely, and I stared at Kaito with a fierce look.

His fists clenched together. "Do you hear what you're saying? It's almost as if you're _forgetting_ just _what_ your illness is. The mere fact that you even _thought_ about joining the Night Class is ridiculous. To think that they sent _you_—"

"It'll be problematic is what you're saying," I interrupted him. My lips pressed tightly together for a moment, and then I shook my head. It stung to voice aloud the man's thoughts, but I knew that it was true. "You don't understand, Kaito. I think it's precisely _because_of my illness that I was the one who was assigned this job. Tell me—who else could do a better job of it? My illness is what allows me to do this job better than anyone else."

"And what happens when one of them loses control?" the older man demanded, his voice still calm, yet he was livid. "What will you do then? I'm not going to be around you all the time, Ivy—especially if you choose to be in the Night Class."

Kaien's indignant voice broke into our conversation, and he huffed at the vampire hunter with the hazel eyes. "Give a little more credit to my adorable Night Class students, would you? They are well-behaved and respectable young men and women!"

Kaito's fuming eyes lifted to meet the older man's. "And you're willing to take that chance?" he asked lowly. "One wrong move and she's dead."

"Don't say something so sad, Kaito," I mumbled, sighing. I ran a hand through my hair. "Yagari is the teacher for the Night Class, isn't he? I won't be alone. Besides, Zero's a prefect, right? He'll be patrolling around, making sure that there's no trouble. I believe that, if it comes down to it, Zero will be there to help me out."

"He's got other stuff to do," Kaito argued. "Don't just go around putting burdens on everyone, Ivy. We can't take care of you all the time. Depending on Zero so easily when you've just met him—what makes you think he won't shoot your head off?"

I blinked, and then looked over my shoulder at the lavender-eyed male. His eyes met mine, and I could see it all in his eyes. The hatred, the mistrust, the bloodlust. I knew that he wanted to do nothing more than take out his Bloody Rose from the inside pocket of his jacket and shoot me with it, despite knowing that I was still a legit part of the Association.

Yet, reflected in his eyes was also what was in his soul. And I could see, very clearly, that he was a man of duty. He wouldn't abandon a comrade, even if it was a comrade bound to him only by vague alliance.

A smile curled up on my face as I turned back to Kaito. "Zero isn't heartless, Kaito. Don't be so mean." I glanced at him over my shoulder again, and grinned. "Sorry, Zero, but I'll be depending on you from now on. Please take care of me."

"Don't go deciding that stuff on your own," he retorted, his features twisting into a deeper scowl.

I laughed. "But when it comes down to it, you know that you won't be able to resist being the knight." I beamed at them. Remembering something significant, I turned to address Kaien. "I don't in particularly want to live in the Moon Dorms, though. I was wondering, Kaien, if it's not too much trouble, could I stay in the abandoned dorm? The one that the Night Class stayed in temporarily when the Moon Dorms were still being built?"

Nodding his head, Kaien let out a soft chuckle. "That's probably for the best. I wasn't going to let you stay in the Moon Dorms anyways."

"Thank you so much." Turning to Kaito, I inquired, "Are you more relieved now?"

"To have you all alone in a huge dorm isolated from the rest of the population? Not in the least," he scoffed.

My eyebrows furrowed slightly as I caught onto his train of thought. "Don't tell me this means you're—"

"Headmaster." He ignored what I was saying, turning to speak to Kaien with a solemn look. They exchanged knowing glances, and Kaien nodded his head in understanding.

"How about you, Kiriyuu-kun?" Kaien let his eyes fall onto his self-proclaimed son. The affection that was in Kaien's eyes was so obvious, so strong. He looked at Zero as if he was looking at his own flesh and blood. The bond that they had between the two of them—the trust—was so unbelievable. I felt a smile curl onto my face unconsciously as I thought about it. It was nice, knowing that such relationships actually existed.

Zero turned his head away from Kaien's eyes. "No."

"You won't be living in the Sun Dorms," the headmaster negotiated. "You'll have a lot more privacy than that in the empty dorm. After all, it'll just be the three of you in such a big dorm. You could all be on different floors, if that makes it any better. Since the Night Class has returned, you've been doing your prefect duties just like usual, but you hardly get back to this apartment until extremely early morning. It's not good for your health."

"Living on school grounds is even more bothersome," shot back the young male. "I go to school by day and hunt vampires by night as the Association wishes. The vampires that I hunt are located here, in the town or the surrounding area, _not_in the academy."

Kaien shook his head softly. "You know just as well as I do that the Association will send you a new mission—and that mission will be to uphold your duties as a prefect at the academy. Not only is it merely _one_Pureblood who is now in the Night Class, but three. The Association won't want to take any risks. The chances that you'll get assigned to go on any hunts while the Night Class is established is rare."

"It's _your_job as a prefect to keep the humans in the Day Class safe," Kaito added. "Your shifts are going to interfere with your hunts. It's more convenient for everyone if you move into the dorm."

"It'll be fun," I chimed in, beaming at the scowling vampire. "If you want, we can invite in Yagari. It'll be like our own little headquarters. Besides, it's best if we all stick together in case something _does_happen." I highly doubted that any vampire would be stupid enough to charge into a dorm that contained three or four vampire hunters—especially not when Zero or Yagari would be there.

"Kiriyuu-kun—"

Kaien's voice faltered and stopped as Zero reached over and swiped a small black packet off the bedside table. Tilting his head back and placing the box above his slightly opened mouth, Zero flicked the box open easily, letting numerous blood tablets fall. When the last one dropped, Zero closed his mouth, tossing the empty square packet away. He didn't even look to assess the distance between himself and the barrage can or to angle his aim, but the garbage had gone in swiftly, smoothly.

Reaching into the pocket of my trench coat, I pulled out a new, unopened packet, though mine were white with a pale blue design instead of his, which had been black with a red design. They were the same thing, really, it was just a matter of having it blend in with your everyday items more easily. I tossed it towards him, and it landed on the edge of the bed before sliding along the sheets, eventually stopping at his hip.

"I don't need it," he half-growled. His hands were clenched, and he glared at me through the stands of hair that fell into his eyes.

"Take it anyways," I told him. "I have another pack." As if to prove to him that I wasn't giving an excuse to hand over all my tablets and then go on a blood craze, I whipped out another white box, identical to the one I had given him, and shook it so he could hear that it was three-quarters full.

His long and slender fingers picked the packet up, and he threw it back at me. Seeing it coming, I didn't even flinch as I lifted a hand up in front of my face, catching the palm-sized square easily. "I said that I don't need it."

"Is that what you really think?" My tone was unconvinced. I had heard from Kaien two days prior to this situation right now that Zero was low on blood tablets, and that he had ordered more, though they wouldn't be coming for another couple of days. To think that the violet-eyed man could lie so easily, so expressionlessly, I wondered if it was because of what he had gone through, or if it was merely because it had been _my_tablets.

"Yes," he grunted in annoyance. Turning back to Kaien, he brought the subject back to our area of living once again. "Is it an order?"

Kaien's eyes were soft, his voice a murmur. "No, Kiriyuu-kun. It's really your choice what you want to do." There was a pause. "But it's what I personally think would be the best option."

Flatly, Zero said, "Fine."

"Thank you," I told him, my lips curling upwards.

"For what?" His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he analyzed me, his lips pulling into a frown.

Shaking my head, I could feel my loosely curled hair following the motion. "It might sound stupid, but I suppose I'm saying thanks for joining us in the dorm. Even though you don't like me, you're still willing to put you duties ahead of your feelings. It's admirable."

He scoffed at me. "I don't want to hear such words from you."

"Does it revolt you?" I asked him lightly, interested but trying not to show it. I observed how his eyes hardened and his fists clenched, his jaw tightening. I hadn't ever seen Zero at the Association, but that was most likely because I didn't return there very often. He was such an intriguing person, though.

"It's none of your concern," he said civilly, though his eyes said something entirely different.

"Right," I settled, smiling. Looking out the window, I took notice of how the sky had darkened now. Although so little words had been exchanged between the four of us, so much still unknown or misunderstood, the time had flown by despite all that. The moon grinned brightly at me from above, looking down on me with beauty that seemed mocking. The stars didn't sparkle through the mist of black even though they were desperately trying to.

My eyes fell from the sky onto the glass of the window, where my own reflection stared back at me. The same hair, the same features, the same eyes. It would always be the same, wouldn't it?

I didn't want to stay in Zero's room for much longer. Although I hadn't been lying when I said that I was extremely pleased to meet him, I didn't want to force him into such a tense position, especially when we were all at _his_home. His guard had been up the entire time we had been in here, his body stiff and rigid, his eyes watchful and cautious. He was trying so desperately to protect those around him—protect them from me.

It was unfair.

Closing my eyes, I let out a sigh and turned away from the window, breaking away from my reverie. "I should go," I told the silent room cheerfully, trying to keep the enthusiasm in my voice.

"So soon?" Kaien inquired. "I was hoping to spend more time with you, Ivy-chan. After all, we haven't sat down together and had tea in quite a while."

"Sorry," I told him sincerely. I had missed those, too. How long had it been? "Let's have one of those tomorrow, if you have time. I'll come by in the day and pick up my uniform while I'm at it."

His lips pulled upwards. "Of course I have time for you, Ivy-chan! Come by whenever you see fit. I'll be waiting in my office all day for you to arrive!"

I laughed. "Please don't trouble yourself like that. But I really _will_drop by, if not for the talk and tea, then for my uniform."

"Like I said, I'll definitely be waiting for you." Kaien was so animated, he was like a child. He hugged me tightly. "Where will you be off to?"

"There's a Level E I've been assigned to kill," I notified them. "According to the reports, he should be out at this time, near the vampire pub. Even though I'll be attending Cross Academy, I'll probably have to leave often for missions. I'm sorry."

Kaien shook his head. "Please, don't say that, Ivy-chan! I must say, however, that I'm surprised the Association will still be giving you missions despite the huge one they have already assigned you."

"That one takes priority, of course," I murmured. I tried not to think about it. "But you know how it is, don't you, Kaien? The vampires who were waiting for some big fall-apart from the Purebloods are still angry and have been more hostile lately, since it didn't happen. The chance that they'd been waiting for had disappeared."

Nodding, Kaien knew what I was talking about. "I just hope it won't escalate into anything bigger than what it already is."

"Don't worry," I reassured him, "I'm sure that it'll be fine."

"I hope so," he sighed quietly. Looking at me seriously, he asked, "Do you need me to accompany you?"

Instantly, my hands came up to wave in front of my shaking head, emphasizing my point. "No, no! It's okay, really." Stopping my movements, I grinned up at his worried eyes. "All the adults are working really, _really_ hard at the Association. It inspires the young ones to work their hardest, too. So don't trouble yourself with me—I really _can_take care of myself."

"You're not going alone," Kaito grunted. He got up from the chair he had been sitting on, his tall frame helping to fill up the space in the minimally-furnished room. Straightening himself out, he grabbed his coat from the back of the chair, slipping it on easily. "'I can take care of myself' my ass. You can't handle anything on your own at all."

I couldn't help the way my lips pressed together as I eyed him. "You don't need to play babysitter, Kaito. No need to get so protective, after you've been gone for a year." It came out more rigid than I had intended, and I knew from the way Kaito tensed slightly that he understood how I felt about the subject.

"I was busy." His eyes tried to meet mine, but I avoided his gaze.

"Yeah, I know." Dropping the subject, I turned to Kaien and Zero. "Well, I'll be going now. Thank you, Zero, for letting me into your home. And thank you as well, Kaien. I'm looking forward to seeing you two tomorrow." My lips pulled upwards when I met the vigilant eyes of the future President, almost as if I felt like by smiling, it would balance out his hate.

Kaien gave me another tight, but short hug. He waved away my gratitude afterwards, and said, "Be careful, Ivy-chan! You as well, Kaito-kun."

"I'll make sure she doesn't choke up," Kaito muttered his reassurance to the older man, heading out. He pulled open the door that led back into the hallway of the old apartment complex and stepped out, his long and untied dark grey trench coat flowing delicately behind him.

I followed his lead, approaching the apartment door. Reaching into my pocket, I once again pulled out the brand new box of tablets. Not looking, I threw it over my shoulder. There was a soft thud and the sound of the tablets rattling inside as the box hit the desk. Their gazes burned into the back of my head, and upon reading the opened doorway, I lifted a hand over my shoulder in what could be considered a wave. Still not sparing the duo a glance, I left the room after Kaito, making sure to shut the door behind me.

Kaito wasn't waiting for me out in the hallway, and I hurried as I made my way towards the front entrance of the apartment compound. Opening one of the wide double doors, I didn't hesitate in punching the back of the man's broad shoulder.

"What was that for?" Kaito demanded, scowling at me deeply. His hand reached up to rub the spot I had hit.

"I don't choke up," I mumbled, my feet moving towards the pub. The cold night air seeped in through my trench coat, kissing my skin sinisterly. At this time, the town was silent. Although a few windows were lit from the inside, there weren't any humans wandering around. An occasional car would fly by, but other than that, the town had fallen into a hush.

Kaito sighed, not saying anything as he caught up with me. Falling into a familiar stride, the two of us kept silent as we headed towards our destination. I was sure that Kaito, too, had a vampire he needed to exterminate.

Our senses were perked, our eyes taking in everything that they needed to. Awareness flooded my entire being, trying to pick up on anything that would warn me of a vampire or of a threat.

When, after a minute or two of absolute stillness had passed, I spoke. "He doesn't remember at all."

"Did you expect him to?"

Slowly, I shook my head. "I guess not."

"Liar," he said. He didn't even look at me as he continued. "You thought that he'd remember just like how Ichiru remembered."

A small, half-hearted smile crossed my face. A pang of pain hit me in the chest, and I swallowed upon remembering the younger Kiriyuu twin. I had been informed of his death last year, and I had visited his grave, but I hadn't gone for a second time. I was looking for the right time, but could never seem to find the right moment. Thinking of him, I bowed my head slightly as tears threatened to fall. Automatically, my hand reached up to clutch at the small, square gem that hung directly below a thin silver plate that had a single word engraved onto it. The gem was attached to the original necklace by two delicate, intricate silver chains that latched onto either ends of the plate.

Softly, a hand was placed on the top of my head. My heart twisted in my chest at the gesture. Kaito muttered softly, "You still cry over him? It's been a year."

"He was kind," I whispered, remembering all those times that the silver-haired male had visited me, and all those times he had stayed with me for hours and hours, listening to me talk about nothing that really even mattered.

"He wanted to kill Zero," Kaito reminded me.

"He loved him," I murmured softly. "I'm sure he still does." I blinked hard, pushing back the new wave of tears that wanted to come out. "I miss him, Kaito."

The wavy-haired male glanced down briefly. "You're not the only one."

"You're right," I agreed softly. Automatically, my mind flashed to the older of the twins, the one that held such tortured eyes. "They really look different."

"Are you upset that he doesn't remember?" Kaito asked after a moment of silence. We were almost at the pub, the glow that came out of the windows of the building were dim. Seeing the place, despite being quite far away, instinctively got us putting our guards up. The wind blew, sending their scents towards us, and I could smell all the vampires that were in the area. Mixing up with that was the smell of beer and blood.

Not seeing a reason to lie, I admitted, "Just a bit." I let out a sigh. "But I guess it's normal. It was just that once, and it had been relatively brief. It was so many years ago, too."

Kaito didn't look like he was going to respond, but then he opened his mouth. "Ask him, if you're bothered by it."

I let out a small laugh, our footsteps halting before we even reached the pub. Although I was aware of the vampire that was watching us, I couldn't help but think that it had been such a Kaito-like thing to say. He gave me a warning glance, his eyes scolding me to not let my guard down, no matter how easy I would think it'd be.

Hungry eyes slid between the two of us, and I tilted my head up slightly to catch a glimpse of the crouching figure on the top of a lamppost. Eyes that glowed a bright crimson stared back at me, but it was clear that the Level E wasn't as interested in Kaito's blood as it was for mine.

"Give me it," he hissed out. Drool fell in large quantities from his agape mouth. The razor-sharp fangs, pointed and protruding, glinted like metal as the moonlight hit them. Dressed up in dirty, but normal civilian clothing, he looked like he was ready to run around the world for even a drop of human blood.

Hearing the sound of fabric on fabric, I didn't look at Kaito. "I can take care of him."

There was a pause in the sounds, and then they resumed. "Ivy."

A sigh escaped my lips. "Fine." It wasn't something that didn't happen all the time, but it still bothered me slightly. When I went out on missions with family or other hunters, they always had their weapons out, ready to back me up if I ever messed up. Admittedly, it had saved my life before, but it was almost as if they doubted I could stay as an independent hunter.

Impatiently, the Level E shrilled, "Give me your blood! Your blood, so sweet and so delicious... So sweet... _Give_it to me!" Without an ounce of hesitation, the Level E didn't seem to care he was charging at two vampire hunters. His feet had barely even made contact with the concrete before he lunged towards me.

I didn't even blink.

A soft tinkle, which was followed by a flash of white, black, and silver, and then the colours disappeared as quickly as they had come.

And then all that was left was a pile of dust at my feet, the particles lightly getting swept up in the wind as our footsteps once again resounded through the night.

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><p><strong>AN : **

And... Yeah, that concludes the first chapter. I'm not gonna lie; I don't think that I'll finish the second chapter by Christmas. OTL. So I'll tell everyone's who actually read this chapter to **have an amazing Christmas full of happiness and love**! And don't party too hard, you guys. HAHA.

Mm, reviews are appreciated. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter, whether it be about how much you loved it, hated it, or just some constructive criticism is fine, too.

So, yeah... Please review! HAHA. It'll help me get the ball rolling on this story. (:

Love,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	2. The Sky and the Ground

**Disclaimer : No, I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters.**

**A/N :**

AHMYGOD. I have school tomorrow, and I don't want to go back. At all. So I decided to make myself feel better by writing like a madwoman and trying to update this as fast as possible, which is what I did. HAHA.

But, yeah. Holy crap, I don't want to go. ): To all of you guys that have school sometime soon or already started... Let's feel our pain together. -SOBS-

I hope that you guys all had an amazing Christmas and a fabulous New Year, by the way! (:

Thank you for your amazing support, and I hope that you enjoy the second chapter ;D I honestly didn't think I'd get so many reviews for the very first chapter, so I'm really touched. Seriously, guys. Thanks a lot (:

I WAS RIGHT; SOMEONE POINTED OUT TO ME HOW I SPELT IT "KIRIYUU". I'm sorry bro, suck it up ):

**BY THE WAY; **I forgot to mention in the first chapter, but this story is slightly AU. 'Cause, well, Kaname doesn't go on his killing streak and the Night Class is still re-established. Sorry for not mentioning it in the first chapter! ):

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><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER TWO;**

_"The Sky and the Ground"_

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><p>My mind was hazy and foggy as I stumbled around in the halls. Fatigue blurred everything together, and I was hardly even aware of where I was going. Everything felt heavy—my mind, my eyelids, my feet, my arms. It felt so hard to move, but somehow, I knew that I was doing it.<p>

As much as I didn't want to, I knew that the moment I was finished with my business with Kaien, I'd fall asleep faster than anyone could blink their eyes. The only reason I wasn't unconscious was that I had no intention of falling asleep in the middle of a hallway where anyone could find me.

How many days had it been since I last slept? I wasn't even sure anymore. I had lost count after the eighth day. Lack of sleep was something that could kill humans, and although that didn't necessarily apply to vampires, it didn't mean that we didn't suffer the same kind of tiredness and sluggishness that humans did.

Ungracefully, I lost my footing and crashed into the wall. Closing my eyes, I breathed in deeply and then exhaled, trying to bring my mind back into focus. When I felt like I had a grip of what was going on, I pushed myself off of the wall, regaining my balance after a moment's struggle. My stride as I made my way to Kaien's office was consistent yet shaky, and I hoped that there wasn't anyone roaming around this area at this time.

As I neared the room, voices floated towards me softly, getting louder and louder the closer I got to Kaien's office. They were familiar voices, followed by memorable scents, and I stopped right outside the large mahogany doors that led to where the trio were discussing a matter that I knew all too well.

"Haven't you ever wondered, Zero, why you got away with being a vampire so easily?" Kaito's voice was calm and serious, yet somehow holding the twinge of languidness that never seemed to leave. "The Association often spoke of your execution—myriads of times upon myriads of times, yet you never found it strange that it had been prolonged for so long? I'm sure that you know hunters could've easily, _easily _infiltrated Cross Academy and exterminated you."

There was a pause, and then it was followed by a, "I wasn't the first one." From the way the words had been spoken, it was clear he wasn't asking it, but stating it.

"No, you weren't," Kaito confirmed. "You completed the change into a vampire a year ago, but before you, the first ones to experience the absolute wrath of the Association were the victims that were involved in _that _incident, five years ago."

"_That_ incident?" Zero's voice was wary, and I could imagine the scowl that his face held as he glanced between the two older men.

"It's no surprise that you haven't heard of it, Kiriyuu-kun, since you didn't officially join the Association until last year," Kaien said, his voice cheerless. "It's true that when the Association found out that you were a vampire, they were angry, but it was nothing compared to the lividness of the Association five years ago when everything was in an uproar. It was a very unpleasant time, as it was when hunters took sides and fought against one another."

Kaito's voice held an edge. "Many appalling feelings were created. It was a time where the entire organization felt like it would fall apart and crumble into nothing because of the severity of disputes between sides."

Unable to stop myself, I reached out and grasped the doorknob, turning it and pushing the door open lightly. Three pairs of eyes fell instantly to me as I entered. My eyes were downcast as I murmured softly, "And it was all because of five individuals that got bitten by a Pureblood."

The thought of it threatened to bring back the memories of that day, back when I hadn't known just how dangerous Purebloods really were. Back when I was naive and careless. Almost unconsciously, I reached up and touched the place where I had gotten bitten, remembering the agonizing pain I had felt.

"Ivy-chan!" Kaien stood up from his chair behind his desk.

Blinking, I smiled at him reassuringly. "I'm fine." I let my hand drop from my neck.

"It's rude to eavesdrop, Ivy." Kaito flicked me a glance. However, everyone knew that they could sense me approaching the office simply due to their enhanced senses.

"Sorry," I told them, even though my tone said otherwise. Taking a few more steps into the room, I made my way towards one of the large and comfy red armchairs that were placed in front of Kaien's desk.

He had sat back down in his chair, but his eyes regarded me in concern even as I sat down in one of the chairs. I pulled my legs up as well, dragging them up to my chest, and wrapped my arms gently around them.

Continuing with their conversation, I explained, "The reason you don't know about it is because it's not spoken about in the Association anymore. Although it had never been announced directly, everyone knows it's a silent taboo, as it reminds everyone of the dark days in which we had turned against our own brothers and sisters. It's also to prevent from offending or reminding the victims, as well as the victims' families. A lot of the families are sensitive even now to what had happened back then."

"It was an unexpected and tragic thing." Kaito's interlocked hands tightened slightly, something that didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room. "The families were torn between two choices, and within that, family members began fighting as well, tearing many of them apart."

Kaien's eyes were sad behind the glasses he wore. "It caused many chain reactions. Although most vampire hunters managed to fix their relationships with one another after the entire ordeal was dealt with, the majority of the victims' families that had been torn apart are still separated from one another, unable to forget what had transpired."

"The Association was mostly just putting up a front when it happened with you, Zero," I told him. I gazed past Kaien towards the outside world, the sleepiness that had disappeared momentarily was slowly crawling back. It was getting harder and harder to focus and concentrate. "They were displeased, but not as much as they had seemed. They were more concerned over anything else."

"They should still be," Zero responded quietly, his tone self-loathing.

Shaking my head slightly, I settled myself into the relaxing armchair more comfortably. "Your train of thought is off. They weren't worried about you losing control and creating havoc, but more as to whether or not they could control you to do what they want and mould you into a weapon for them to use." My hand reached up to cover my mouth as I yawned, my eyelids beginning to droop.

"A weapon?" Zero's voice was slightly sharper than usual.

"We can discuss this another time," Kaien interrupted before I could speak. Through my blurred vision, I could see him getting up from his desk. He walked off to the side, but I didn't want to turn my head to follow his retreating figure.

Kaito's scowling voice reached my ears. "When was the last time you slept, Ivy?"

"I don't know," I murmured sleepily. I tried to keep my eyes open, but they had shut already, and it felt like they were glued that way. No matter how much strength I put into it, I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes.

There was a sigh, and I could hear a soft creak, followed by some fabric sliding against fabric. "I see that it truly hasn't changed from the past years, Kaito-kun."

"She still—..." Kaito's voice faded out of my ears, and right before I fell asleep, I felt something soft and cool touching my skin, wrapping around me.

* * *

><p>I wasn't sure how long I had slept, but it felt like it hadn't even been a minute yet when I felt a hand shaking my shoulder and waking me up. Groggily, I mumbled, "Five more minutes..."<p>

"You're going to skip out on seeing the Night Class?"

The Night Class? Why did it sound so familiar? The Night Class... Night Class...? Night—

I shot up from where I had been resting, completely wide awake. I wasn't supposed to be slacking off and sleeping, especially not when I was assigned such an important mission! Unfortunately, due to my haste, my feet had gotten tangled with something and I would've fallen like an idiot if an arm hadn't wrapped around my waist.

Surprised, I blinked up at beautiful hazel eyes.

"You're finally awake," Kaito observed, sounding unpleased and definitely unimpressed. "Be more careful, will you?"

"Sorry," I murmured, feeling the warmth of his arm and hand—which gripped mine—sinking into my own skin. "Thanks for catching me."

He made sure I was steady before letting go and stepping back, allowing me room to remove my feet from the jumbled fabric. I swiped it up off the floor, reminding myself that I had to fold it since I was no longer at home and could slack off with my manners. As I folded the blanket, I noticed that I had been resting on the couch that was pushed along the wall in Kaien's office opposed to the armchair I remembered falling asleep in.

As if hearing my train of thought, Kaien smiled and said, "The couch seemed like a more appropriate place for you to rest, so I asked Kiryuu-kun to move you."

I wondered why he had requested Zero to do that instead of Kaito, but I realized it was probably because Zero had been the only one in the room at that moment in time. After all, there was no way they'd stay in Kaien's office for four whole hours—Kaito probably left to do his job as a teacher-in-training, and Kaien must've needed to speak with Zero privately for that situation to arise. Imagining the way Zero must have looked as he carried me the few meters to the couch wasn't hard, especially since I had seen so many of those eyes before.

"Is that so?" I looked around Kaito's body to see the Guardian leaning against the opposite wall casually, his arms folded across his chest. His lavender eyes regarded me with the same solemn look his handsome features were arranged into. "Thank you, Zero."

He remained silent, not saying a word as he continued to scrutinize every move I made.

"Your belongings have already been put into your room at the old Moon Dormitory, so you don't need to worry about it," the straw-haired hunter informed me.

"Ah, right," I nodded in understanding, as I finished the process of overlapping the blanket neatly. I looked questioningly at the headmaster, silently asking where the blanket was supposed to be placed. He let out a light chortle and approached me, taking it out of my hands gently.

Kaien moved to where a large wooden closet was pushed into the corner of the room. Opening it up silently, he placed the material back where he had gotten it out from, but he didn't return empty-handed. Reaching for something, he said, "The Night Class will begin their lessons soon. Are you prepared?"

"Of course," I answered, though a part of me felt uneasy. Despite the fact that I knew the vampires that came to Cross Academy were the ones that didn't want to feed on human blood and were therefore taking tablets, it didn't change the fact that I would be walking into a room completely filled of aristocrat vampires, if not even higher than that.

In one fluid motion, Kaien pulled a Night Class uniform out of the closet with one hand. The sound of the clear plastic covering wrinkling was heard, and I blinked at the attire of the Night Class, which didn't differ a lot from the Day Class ones. Rather than black with a white lining design, the majority of the uniform was an ivory white with similar intricate designs, though in black. Replacing the white dress shirt of the Day Class was a black one, though both the ribbon and socks seemed to be the same. The cuffs and customized rose buttons appeared to be the same for both classes as well. In Kaien's other hand hung a pair of dark boots, polished and looking completely new.

"Do you like it?" Kaien asked me excitedly, his eyes bright. "I think that it'll suit you very well, Ivy-chan! You'll look so pretty in it!"

Moving to the where the headmaster stood, I let out a laugh. "Well, the uniform itself is definitely very pretty." I avoided his eyes, not wanting him to see the way my eyes tightened. Yes, vampires were beautiful. There wasn't a single one that wasn't.

But was I supposed to feel like it was my own beauty, rather than an artificial one that was presented to me?

"What are you saying?" Kaien admonished, handing the outfit to me enthusiastically. "Of course I'm right about how you'll look in, too! Kaito-kun and Kiriyuu-kun both agree, right?"

Ignoring what Kaien asked about, Kaito reminded me with a downward tilt of the lips, "Don't cause Yagari too much trouble, you twit. I don't want to have to deal with the problems you cause."

"No promises," I grinned at the older male. I avoided his arm, which he had swung out in hope of catching me in a headlock. "I'll go change now. Do you mind if I use your washroom, Kaien?"

He waved a hand dismissively. "Feel free to use whatever you may need. Oh, but come back in here when you're done changing! I want to see you in your uniform!" The graveness that had been on his face earlier had disappeared completely, and an almost scary cheer replaced it. He practically glowed, and while Kaien always tried to remain upbeat and positive, it unnerved me slightly that he was so joyful despite the obvious tension in the room.

"Thanks." I opened up the door that separated Kaien's private home office from the rest of his household, which I wasn't entirely familiar with. I hoped that he didn't mind the fact that I was wandering all around his house, trying to find the bathroom.

The walls were painted a soft beige, white moulding with a simple, but elegant lining design stretching along the place where the wall met the ceiling. The bottom where the wall met the floor had similar a pattern made from the same material, and the outlines of large square boxes that extended along the bottom half of the wall were a shiny gold. It wasn't blindingly brightly lit, but it wasn't dim at all. The floor was made of dark wood panels, and no matter where I went, it was neat and tidy.

I decided that I loved Kaien's house already. It radiated the feeling of a warm home that someone could return to and a place that could be treated as a sanctuary, something that pulled me in automatically. It gave off a welcoming and loving vibe—the sort of feeling that a home _should_ have. The cosiness and homey mood seemed to sink into my very being, making me feel warm from the tips of my fingers down to my toes.

After opening a few doors that didn't lead me to where I needed to go, I eventually found the restroom that I had been searching for. Slipping inside, I flicked on the lights before shutting the door softly behind me, making sure to lock it securely even though I knew that any of the men from the trio could easily shoulder down the door or break the lock.

As I changed, my eyes darted around the room. The white tiles were clean, the marble counter of the sink wiped dry. The large mirror that took up almost the entire upper half of one wall had been polished so that no fingerprints were left on it. The face cloths and the large towels were matched by colour, and I noticed that there were three sets of them instead of just one.

My fingertips skimmed along one of the towels with a feather-light touch, my lips stretching downwards and my eyes tightening slightly. Even though it was a bit over a year since Zero and Yuuki had left living with him, Kaien had still kept their belongings almost as if he knew that they would be coming back. Or had he merely been hoping? Thinking about it as I buttoned up my jacket, I realized that I was never quite sure what Kaien had in mind. He was a perspective person who never seemed to push anyone into doing anything, but more often than not, his plans always turned out the way he wanted them to.

I let out a sigh, avoiding the reflection in the mirror. My back faced it as I finished up putting on my brand new uniform. Removing the long strands of hair that had been tucked in between the jacket and the dress shirt, I prepared to unlock the door and step outside. After all, I had kept the silver-haired male waiting long enough. My musing had made my actions slower than they normally would have been, and I didn't want to upset the vampire hunter that I knew rested on the other side of the wall.

Just as my fingers were about to make contact with the cool metal handle, a soft resonating feeling inside of my body made me freeze completely, my eyes widening at the familiar sensation. The feeling got stronger and stronger until, like I had expected, an immense and abrupt pain exploded in my chest right where my heart was. It was a scorching pain that made me feel as if I was being burned inside out by something even stronger than fire. It was an indescribable kind of pain that hurt more than anyone could comprehend unless they went through it as well. It was a million times worse than being hit by an anti-vampire weapon, than being stabbed in the abdomen or thigh, than having a bullet shot through you. It was a pain that I had felt too many times for it to be a surprise, but it was something that I knew I could never get used to it.

I clutched at the spot over my chest, the pain almost unbearable. Another pang of hard, solid hurt stabbed at me once again, and unable to help it, I staggered a few steps back. Black spots began to dot my vision for what felt like the millionth time. I felt like I couldn't breathe anymore, the tightness of my throat not allowing it. The feeling of being suffocated—of drowning—overwhelmed me. Another stab of pain, and this time I couldn't stand anymore. Crashing into the counter before falling onto the floor, I tried desperately to try and get some oxygen into my lungs. With my back leaning against the cabinet door, I began to unbutton the jacket of my uniform, almost as if it would help relieve some of the pain and tautness I felt, but I knew that it wouldn't.

"What was that?" Zero's quiet voice was piercing. His smooth, silky melody floated clearly to my ears, sounding no less beautiful even though the material that split us apart had muffled it just a tad.

I opened my mouth to speak, wanting to reassure him that it was nothing, but the only thing I managed to do was cough violently. I could feel the warm liquid in my mouth before seeing it splatter onto the floor, the bright red looking out of place against the faultless tiles. I shut my eyes as the throbbing in my chest grew more and more prominent, the burning sensation rising in the level of intensity at a rapid pace. Even though I wasn't scared of what was happening to me, my body still shook violently and trembled.

The feeling of being repeatedly punctured all over my body invaded me, and I slapped my hands over my mouth as my body wracked with fierce coughs. With every time I coughed, more blood came out. The lukewarm crimson fluid overflowed and trickled through the tight gaps of my fingers before trailing down the back of my hand.

I tried to gasp for breath that I didn't have, but it only succeeded in having the blood in my throat get caught, prompting another fit of coughing.

"Open the door," he demanded from the other side, the handle jingling as he tried to open it. Through my pain, I wondered why he hadn't ran away, trying to get away from the scent of my blood. But when he spoke again, I understood from the slight alteration of his voice. "Are you—" he broke his own sentence off, letting out an angry hiss between his teeth.

He was trying to hold his breath.

There was a loud bang on the door as his fist collided with it in agitation. Through my pants for breath, I could hear his mild gasps as well. Even so, I didn't hear his footsteps that signaled him leaving.

When I coughed this time, the blood splattered harshly onto the floor, dirtying it. I wondered briefly if any of the others were feeling this pain, too. I hadn't seen them in quite a while, something that I wasn't all too happy about.

Suddenly, more footsteps pounded towards us, reaching us quickly. The familiar scents and presences of Kaien and Kaito registered for a second in my brain, but before I could think deeper into it, another fire pulsed through me again, disrupting my train of thought.

"Kiriyuu-kun!" Kaien's voice exclaimed, but there was no response from the lilac-orbed male. The only thing I heard was shallow breaths from him.

Someone rattled the bathroom door's handle again, but seeing as it was no use, pounded on the piece of wood so violently it shook. "Oi, Ivy! Open up this door _right now._"

Even though I was in pain, I knew that if I tried hard enough, I could shift over to unlock the door, but I didn't. I didn't want them to see me like this—didn't want them to witness just what hadn't changed over the years. I didn't want Zero to see something like this, because he didn't know. It wasn't as if I was scared he'd lose control and attack me or because I was worried how the scent of my blood would affect him.

I just simply wanted to feel this pain alone.

Not knowing how I felt—and even if he did, I doubted he would care—Kaito forced the door open. It slammed against the wall loudly, and I instantly turned away from the entrance to the bathroom. A feeling of shame and humiliation washed through me, although I knew that it was pointless to have such emotions. It certainly wasn't the first time that Kaito or Kaien witnessed one of these attacks, but that didn't make it any less disgusting and revolting to behold.

For a moment, stillness settled between all of us. Kaito made no move to approach me, and Kaien was still by Zero's side. I didn't need to look to know that the future President had a choked, tortured expression pulling, but not fully showing, along his features.

Just as sudden as the resonating feeling had started reverberating inside me at the beginning, it started again once more. Softly at first, but then it got clearer and stronger, gradually helping my coughs stop. It was like as the echoing sensation got more tenacious, the more pain was taken away and the more relieved I was of the attack. And just a few seconds after, all the horrible sensations that had invaded my body disappeared along with the vibrating feeling. It had just vanished suddenly, not even fading out. It just evaporated into thin air.

I took a few seconds to get enough air into my lungs, trying to compose myself. Even as I removed my bloodstained hands from my mouth and staggered up onto my feet, my body still quivered. I felt eyes burning into me, but I kept my eyes trained on the soiled floor as I turned on the sink and placed my hands underneath the running tap. My eyes watched as the water turned a flaming ruby before dimming down to a pink shade. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, grimacing as the blood smudged on my face as well as on my hand. I repeated the action until I was positive my face was free of the thick red liquid.

Kaien was the one who broke the deep silence. "Are you alright, Ivy-chan?"

"Yeah." My voice was hoarse, my throat burning. It felt raw and scratched, something that was often a result of the attack. Due to the fast recovery rates of vampires though, I knew that the unpleasantness would disappear soon enough. When my face and hands had been cleaned, I turned the tap off and wiped my wet hands on my bloodstained uniform.

I didn't want to touch any of the towels.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kaito inquired, his arm wrapping around my waist and pushing me back into the room when I had tried to leave it. He stood in the doorway, blocking my route out of the washroom.

"To get something to clean it all up." I avoided the eyes of the taller, older hunter in front of me. Even now, despite all the years that I've had this "disease" as they called it, I still had no idea how the man in front of me felt about seeing something so absolutely horrendous. He never mentioned anything about it, which was a fact that had never slipped my mind.

"Are you an idiot?" Kaito scoffed. "Go rest or something and I'll take care of this."

"It's fine," I insisted as I tried to get around him again. Unfortunately, Kaito's fit physique took up most of the doorway, not letting me slip by.

His eyes narrowed at me. "Ivy, you're making my life ten times more difficult than it needs to be."

"_Sorry_," I shot back at him sarcastically, my lips pressing tightly together. The hostility covered up the hurt that hit me. What, did he think I _wanted _to be like this? "Like I said yesterday, you really don't need to play babysitter, Kaito. I'm fine taking care of myself."

"Right," he agreed with the same amount of heavy sarcasm lacing his slightly gruff voice. "Because _this_," he waved a hand at the mess that I made in the restroom, "means you can take care of yourself."

Seeing that I had already opened my mouth to retort, Kaien quickly, but gently, cut me off. "Ivy-chan, you still want to attend the Night Class tonight, don't you? It's best if you don't clean up and move around too much or else your body won't be able to take it."

"But I—"

"You heard what he said." Kaito gave me a pointed look, and then instructed, "Go change into a new uniform or something. Kaien and I can handle this just fine. Zero, you should get out of here, too."

Kaien's soft eyes met mine. "It's probably the best idea. I have a spare uniform in my office. Why don't you and Kiriyuu-kun both head there while Kaito-kun and I clean things up here?"

Looking at him, I found that I couldn't open my mouth and say no. The warmth that seeped from his very being seemed to wrap around me, embracing me so tightly, I was scared that if I said no, the warmth would disappear. So I resigned, "Okay." I glanced over my shoulder at the tiles splattered with red, and then turned back to Kaien again. "I'm really sorry about your washroom, Kaien..."

He shook his head, offering me a smile that seemed sad. It matched the look that he had in his eyes—a gentle sort of misery that had my throat closing up, because I knew what he was thinking, and it meant so much that he still cared despite all the times he'd seen such a sight already. "Please, don't apologize for something as trivial as this. I'm just glad that you're feeling better, Ivy-chan."

"Yeah," I managed to smile, though it felt forced. Kaito shifted to allow me out of the bathroom, and I mumbled my apology to him as I passed. His response to it was a small scoff, and I felt him flick the back of my head. Despite the fact he did it with only two of his fingers, it still hurt. In response, I elbowed him in the stomach before leaving the room after the silver-haired prefect. I heard Kaito's chuckle before the door closed behind me, and I couldn't help the slight smile that came onto my face as well.

Hush wrapped around both of us as we walked down the modest hallways, eventually entering the chairman's office once more. He had been walking a few meters ahead of me, so when I had turned the corner, he was resting against the wall next to the door. Taking a look at him, I realized he was still trying desperately to hold his breath.

It must've been so hard for him—when had been the last time he had real blood?

Walking past him, I pushed open the door that led to Kaien's office and shut it behind me, making my way towards the closet that he had taken the uniform out of. Opening it up, I pushed some of the clothes dangling from the hangers out of the way. It wasn't extremely full, so it didn't take me a long time to find the spare uniform that was there. Taking it, I closed up the closet once more and began to change again.

The sound of fabric against fabric sounded in my ears, followed by the rattling of tablets. It wasn't long before I heard the numerous crunching sounds as he bit down on them almost violently, like he wanted them to dissolve faster.

"Sorry, Zero," I murmured softly, knowing he could hear me. I knew that his body had gotten past the phase in which it rejected blood tablets, but that didn't mean that they satisfied his thirst as well as they did for regular vampires.

He didn't respond.

Sighing softly, I slid the clean jacket over my dress shirt once more, pausing briefly to rest my hand over my chest where my heart was. The pounding of the organ was easily felt through the muscles and tissues of my body, giving off the illusion that I held it in the palm of my hand. It would be so incredibly easy to plunge my hand into my chest and rip it out, like so many people had suggested a few years ago. Perhaps it would be easier, less painful than to continue living.

And yet I couldn't do it.

I bit down on my tongue, trying to keep myself from thinking more about it. It was something that was in the past, and I had things to do before I went under. Things that Ichiru wanted me to do, and things that I felt like I couldn't leave behind just yet.

Finishing the buttons, I began to quickly fold the dirty uniform. If Kaien were here, I knew he'd tell me to put it on his desk, and he'd take care of it. Trusting my instinct, I placed the white attire splattered with crimson on his wide bureau. Glancing out at the large windows that were behind Kaien's desk, I made my way towards them.

"I'll be going this way to class," I said to the empty room, though I knew that the violet-orbed male heard me perfectly fine. "If you need it, I have some more tablet packs in the front pocket of my suitcase." Without waiting for his response, I opened up the window and, not even sparing a glance down below, jumped out of it easily.

* * *

><p>My knuckles rapped on the large wooden door, my body tense. All my senses were perked and on high alert, my guard up. The stench of vampires wafted in the atmosphere strongly, unlike outside where there were mixed scents of both humans and vampires. Yagari's human blood aroma was almost completely overwhelmed by the vampires'. I wondered how hard it was for him to stand before a large class full of them, not knowing what may happen.<p>

But then again, perhaps it wasn't that hard at all.

Yagari stopped whatever he was saying, and I knew that his eyes darted to the door. The numerous pairs of eyes staring at the door waiting for my approach made me feel almost as if I was a celebrity about to grace them with my presence. I knew that the welcome I'd be getting certainly wouldn't be very warm at all, though.

"Oi, Night Class, as I'm sure you know, a new student's going to be joining your ranks. C'mon in."

After inhaling deeply, I pushed open the classroom door and entered the enormous classroom, placing one foot in front of the other. I glanced cautiously around the room, my eyes skimming a sea of inhumanly beautiful faces, though a few in particular stood out to me instantly.

Kuran Kaname with his tall, lean build rested against the wall at the very back of the classroom. He held a thick novel carefully in his large, beautiful hands, his dark crimson eyes not lifting up from what was written along the pages to acknowledge my arrival. Some wisps of his wavy chocolate hair fell into his mesmerizing eyes, but he made no move to brush them out of his face. He radiated a calm, but unbelievably powerful aura. His pale skin almost matched the shade of ivory that had been used to create the Night Class uniform, and true to rumours, he was so indescribably breathtaking.

Sitting delicately at the desk next to where he stood, Kuran Yuuki blinked her wide, ruby eyes that matched Kaname's at me with something that I considered as curiosity. Her silky dark brown hair fell in a straight and soft curtain around her, some stray locks of her bangs falling into her innocently large eyes. Her flawless porcelain skin was placed perfectly over just as dazzling features. Despite being a Pureblood, there wasn't a crushing power emitting from her. Even though that was true, there was still an intimidation that crawled off of her—a feeling that no matter how hard you tried, you would never be able to match up to the obvious beauty that she was. After all, nothing short of "drop-dead gorgeous" could be used to describe the Kuran Pureblood.

Next, my eyes fell to meet the falsely sweet pale cyan eyes of Shirabuki Sara. With her legs crossed and an almost sickeningly kind smile plastered onto her stunning features, her light gold waves cascaded like a waterfall down to her feet. The blond had the face of what nobody could deny was angelic, yet I was sure that those that knew her and looked closely could see the sinister menace that lay hardly dormant underneath the facade. The creamy skin that came with being a vampire enhanced her soft, pale-looking beauty that, somehow, still seemed to radiate so blindingly bright. She released an unnerving aura that had my skin prickling and my senses heightening, her light eyes staring down at me. She was definitely a sight to behold.

Snapping out of my daze, I dropped my eyes from the blond Pureblood. Instead, I fixated my eyes directly in front of me, which happened to rest on a vampire with bright, vividly cerulean eyes that sparkled like gems as the moonlight streamed in through the window and hit them. They were narrowed in revolt, just like I had expected, and he had propped his chin up into the palm of his slender hand. Wavy gold hair framed his handsome, prince-like face, his lips pulled down into a deep frown.

He gave me the look that said that I shouldn't be here, almost as if he thought I didn't already know of such an obvious fact.

"I'm Tashiro Kaori," I introduced as I bowed at them in a ninety-degree angle. Straightening up again, I murmured, "It's nice to meet you all. I hope we'll get along." Although those words weren't lies, I highly doubt that they felt the same way as I did.

"_Another _vampire hunter?" a ripple of voices murmured, sounding distasteful and displeased.

"A _Tashiro_, no less," others followed after in wary detestation.

"You," started the blond male I had focused my eyes on before I did my introduction. He had the entire room of aristocrats falling silent despite not being a Pureblood. Yet, as his eyes met mine once more, his name clicked into my mind. "You're just like him. Like—"

Yuuki's soft, melodic voice interrupted to finish his sentence with one name. "Zero."

Glancing briefly at her before redirecting my eyes on the blond noble, I shook my head. "No, you're wrong. Zero and I are completely different."

"And how exactly are you so different from Kiriyuu?" the blond scoffed, his smooth lips pressing together. There was a strong, strong dislike in his eyes, yet I couldn't see any definite hate.

"For one, he's a guy and I'm a girl," I said lightly, my lips stretching upwards as I met Aidou's gaze steadily. Seeing that nobody was satisfied with my answer—in fact, it only seemed to make their moods darken even more—I took a moment to contemplate what to say. "It's hard to explain."

Aidou snorted, clearly not liking my answer. Even though his poise was so languid, there was some sort of rigid haughtiness that stayed with him as well. Elegance surrounded him like a blanket, even more so than the rest of the nobles. "From the sounds of it, it just seems like there's nothing different at all. Though, I must say..." he trailed off for a moment before his eyes narrowed slightly. "Your blood smells absolutely tantalizing."

Sounding horrified, Yuuki scolded, "Aidou-senpai!" Turning her lovely eyes to me, she quickly began, "Tashiro-san, I apologi—"

"Yuuki." Kaname lifted his eyes up from the novel he had looked so engrossed in. Resting his eyes on his fiancée, he quietly chided, "What did I say about apologizing so easily?" He shifted his eyes to rest on Aidou, who seemed to stiffen instantly. "And Aidou, don't forget your manners."

"I apologize, Kaname-sama!" Aidou exclaimed loudly, his voice rising due to the anxiousness that was clear on his face.

"It's not me who you should be apologizing to," Kaname replied. His voice was deep, warm, but it somehow sounded so sad. His eyes matched the tone that infiltrated his voice. It was something that made me uneasy. It seemed almost as if everyone in Cross Academy had such sorrowful eyes—eyes that spoke of misery and deep pains.

It was something that was almost frightening.

But more than being frightened, the look that the brown-haired Pureblood male had in his eyes made my lips press together slightly, hands curling into loose fists. I didn't understand why his eyes spoke of such desolation and despair. Even though he had gotten the love of his life all to himself, despite knowing how much she meant to another... Although he had finally retrieved what he had been waiting for the last few years... In spite of being with her all the time, knowing she loved him back so dearly... How could he have such eyes?

With obvious reluctance, Aidou turned towards me and bowed his head slightly. His face was almost like a rebellious child's after getting scolded. "Sorry."

I shook my head at him, smiling at how he was so straightforward with his actions. "It's fine. What you said it true, after all." There was no helping it. Despite being vampires, not many were aware of what had occurred after the incident.

"But what Aidou-san said is right," a maroon-haired vampire with pale, carefully blank azure eyes said from the back. His locks were messy and they waved slightly at the ends, framing his almost gut-wrenching beauty. It was a face that I had grown accustomed with, and my smile widened at being able to meet the real deal. Shiki Senri was definitely a lady-killer, his looks making women left and right dropping at his feet. "The scent of your blood filled the air earlier today, and it wasn't only a bit—there were large quantities of it. It was incredibly tempting."

Gazing at him, I wondered how much of what he said was true. The apathetic nature that danced in his voice and was painted on his face made me wonder if he was merely joking, or if he was honestly saying what he meant. His eyes met mine unwaveringly, and he tilted his head in a way that was almost curiously innocent. I couldn't help but stare at him in response.

"Try it, vampire," Yagari's voice sounded from beside me in a tense, but somehow relaxed tone, "and I'll have your head faster than you can blink."

"It's fine," I glanced up briefly at the teacher. "He's just being honest. I prefer that."

"You're just stupid," came Yagari's immediate response. He mumbled something under his breath that was too quiet even for my ears to catch, and then gave me a soft push between my shoulders. "Go take a seat somewhere. The rest of you, turn to page one hundred and thirty-two."

A blond stood up from his seat just as I was reaching the area near his desk, his tall and perfectly proportioned body full of grace. His light topaz hair was straight and neat, his brilliant emerald orbs warm and accompanying the remarkable smile that stretched on his equally astonishing face. The bright aura that he oozed out was almost making it difficult to look at him without feeling as if I was looking directly at the sun. I had originally been prepared for some angry insult or some kind of raging war cry, but his smile had me rethinking what he was about to say.

"Welcome to the Night Class, Tashiro-san. I'm Ichijou Takuma," he introduced. The moment that those words left his lips, I was left absolutely floored. It wasn't the only thing he said that had me almost reeling back from him in surprise however, as what he said next almost knocked me off my feet completely. "Take a seat with me?"

Honestly, I wasn't sure whether or not he was genuinely kind or if he was faking it. I wasn't one that preferred sympathy and wanted people to pretend to treat me in a way that they didn't see fit, but I had to admit that I was feeling better knowing that at least _one_ vampire had the guts to pretend to like me. It was probably an immensely difficult task, since they were... _them_, and I was _me_.

Managing to find my voice, I stammered out, "A-Are you sure?"

Confusion tainted his tone as he regarded me through welcoming olive eyes. He was still standing, and even though Yagari had instructed everyone to open their textbooks, nobody had. The vampire hunter wasn't teaching anything either, but watching and listening, just like the rest of the class.

"Of course I'm sure," he replied immediately, almost as if he hadn't even needed to think about it. "Why wouldn't it be alright?"

"I—" I broke my own sentence off, my mouth dropped open slightly at him. For a moment, I wondered whether or not it was possible for him to be a vampire. Could he have just been a regular individual blessed with inhumanely features? After all, the way his thoughts were being processed in his head certainly didn't seem very correct. Yet looking at him, there was no doubt he was the heir to the Ichijou family, the highest ranking noble clan.

Was I imagining things? It was clear that the reasons were obvious. I knew, just like everyone else in the room, that I didn't belong in a class with people like them. There was no doubt that the levels in which we stood were undeniably different, and that it just didn't suit the way things had been going for the past few years. Not even Zero had entered the Night Class even once as a student, but that was also due to his absolute and utter reluctance to do so.

"The expression on your face says everything," he chuckled slightly, a stray stand falling into his eyes.

"And you're right," Aidou confirmed. I shifted my eyes from Ichijou over to the ocean-eyed aristocrat, who looked at me through slightly narrowed eyes full of cautiousness and scorn. "You're completely different than us. To think that a day would come when someone like Kiriyuu would be joining the Night Class..." he trailed off, but the ending of his sentence was clear.

"Hanabusa," warned an orange-haired male. His carrot-coloured tresses were waved and wild, strands all over the place but somehow managing to make his hair look like a masterpiece. His topaz eyes were beautiful, sharp, and focused, but not piercing in the way that many perspective eyes seemed. Despite being a vampire, he was tanner than most of them, clearly standing out. He also seemed extremely tall as well, his body seeming more muscular than the rest. His voice had been smooth and calm, matching what seemed to be his personality.

"I _am_ different," I agreed wholeheartedly. I offered a slight tilt of my lips at the cold blond. "And I already know just how different we are. But I was sent here by the Association because I'm the one most suitable for this job. Out of everyone in the Association, I'm the only one who can cough up so much blood so frequently without dying of blood loss. In a way, it's a blessing."

I almost slapped myself as the last sentence came out of my mouth. I hadn't been filtering what was being said, and it had just slipped out so easily. What part of this was a blessing? I wasn't even sure, but somehow the words just rolled off my tongue so naturally, I couldn't help but wonder why that was so.

"Ivy." Yagari spoke through slightly gritted teeth, his tone holding a stern warning in it that I disregarded and ignored.

Keeping my eyes locked with the noble, I took in the way his self-confidence seemed so shallow, so false. Why did all I see were walls being built to protect him?

But then again, looking around at everyone, it was obvious that there were barriers put up around each and every person. I knew very well that it was a strategy of self-defense that everybody used.

I wasn't any different, but it made me sad to think about it. That we'd all gotten to the point where fully trusting and understanding one another was so, so difficult. Albeit I wasn't exactly ecstatic to be surrounded by aristocrats that didn't want me there, I couldn't deny that after seeing how it was, it made me want to change things. I wanted to change their perspectives.

But I knew that no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn't be able to.

"The Association will use any means necessary to get rid of those that are disturbing the peace of humans," I murmured softly. "After the incident a year ago, I'm sure you've realized that not only are the hunters restless, but so are the vampires. If the Association needs to use methods like this—" I pointed to myself, "—to sniff out if any of you are doing taboos, then they will. _We _will. I'm not here because I take enjoyment out of making all your lives miserable with my presence. It's not like I hate—" My sentence was cut short as I cocked my head to the side, the chalk that Yagari had thrown at me barely missing my cheek by a millimetre. It slammed into the wall behind me, crumbling into powder by the sheer force that the wavy-haired hunter had used.

"Shut up, Ivy," Yagari commanded in his gruff voice. Disapproval and annoyance was noticeable in his tone, his eyes matching the scowl that was on his face. Breaking my gaze with the blond to look at him, he continued, "You Tashiro siblings never listen to what you're told."

I laughed at that, my mind instantly flashing to my older siblings—specifically to my older sister, and then also to my younger brothers. Our family definitely wasn't keen on being told what to do. "So I've noticed. Everyone says that Lydia's the worst out of all of us, though."

"You're coming close," he cautioned me. "Now just shut your trap and take a seat somewhere like I told you to. You're such a disruption to the class, Ivy. I'm going to kick you out of here soon, I swear. You're giving me a migraine already and it's only been twenty minutes since you set foot into this room." He shot me a look.

He wasn't angry that I was disrupting his class, but at what I had been _saying_ as I halted his lesson. It was evident that he didn't want to hear what I had been about to say, though I wasn't quite sure why.

"Actually, Yagari-sensei, I want to say something." Yuuki didn't wait for his consent as she stood up elegantly from her seat, her dark brown hair flowing like a silky river with every movement she made. Her eyes, so strong and so determined, met mine. "Tashiro-san, I welcome you to the Night Class on behalf of everyone. You might not believe me, but I truly hope that everyone will all get along, so please don't take what Aidou-san said to heart.

"What you told us probably wouldn't be something approved of by the Association, right? You were warning us about it and telling us to be more careful, but you wouldn't be doing that if you truly wanted to arrest any of us and take us away. You're saying that you trust it isn't any of us, isn't that correct? I think that what you did for us is something that everyone should respect and admire, so thank you, Tashiro-san. I truly hope that we'll get along." While her face had been grave as she spoke, her soft and melodious tone serious, at the end of her speech, her lips pulled upwards into a smile so beautiful and so radiant it could've outshone the sun.

The Night Class vampires all seemed to have the ability to knock me speechless for a few moments. I stared at the face of Kuran Yuuki, feeling something eating at my chest as I took in her kind smile. The first thought that crossed my mind was, _"This is the kind of woman that Zero fell in love with."_

Looking at her and remembering green and topaz eyes made me feel sick to my stomach, and I could understand why Zero was still hung over someone like her. She was such an odd Pureblood—she seemed so kind, so warm, so forgiving. There was something about her that just drew people in.

Someone like her—why?

Unable to find the correct words to speak, I managed to force a laugh out of myself even though I felt nauseous. Even though I didn't want to think about it, it was impossible to push the thoughts out of my mind. "No, I think that you've got this wrong... I really, _really _don't deserve your thanks, Kuran Yuuki."

Hisses filled the room from the vampires, their eyes narrowing at me dangerously. Some opened their mouths just a bit wider to show off their sharp, slick canines in a threatening manner. At first, I wasn't even sure what they were so angry about, but then I realized it was because I had shown such disrespect to her. To them, Purebloods were like kings and queens, and I had spoken to her as if she was just another vampire or girl. It was something that I never even noticed anymore. Growing up with Lydia, whose language was more than just a bit colourful and whose mouth was more than just a bit rude, things like putting an honorific at the end of a name didn't even exist to me.

Kaname closed his book, causing a silence to fall immediately upon everyone. They turned their heads to look at the male who had been relatively quiet the entire time, merely observing and listening. Now, however, he lifted his eyes to scrutinize me in a way that had me tensing up.

It was a look I knew so well.

"You," he started in his soft, soothing voice, "really _are_ similar to Kiriyuu, aren't you?"

My voice was light, but the sentence was serious. "Can we please stop bringing Zero into this conversation? Although, I'm curious as to why you'd say something like that." I could name a million reasons that made Zero and I similar, but I could also name another million that indicated how we were so immensely different.

His crimson eyes seemed to harden slightly as they met my emerald and gold ones. "You both share a rather bold disregard for Purebloods."

"Is that how you see it?" I inquired of him, quirking an eyebrow slightly. "I don't think so much that it's _disregarding_ the fact, and I can't speak for Zero because I don't have a right to tell you things I'm not sure about when it comes to how he feels, but I've always been a vampire hunter. Ten years ago, five years ago, and even now. I'm a vampire hunter before I'm a vampire. I _can't _be afraid of Purebloods."

But they were definitely scary. Although I had said something like that—and I was being completely honest, too—it didn't change the fact that just because I didn't show my fear, I didn't feel it.

Yet, I knew that in a way, it was something that I lived for.

"I can see that." By the hidden glacial tone in his voice, I already knew that the Pureblood held a dislike for me. Had it been because of the disrespect I had shown for the love of his existence? I wasn't sure, but it made me want to sigh. We hadn't even spoken for more than five minutes and I had already made enemies with one of the strongest Pureblood families.

"Are you really _that _stupid?" With my quick reflexes, I caught the textbook that Yagari threw at me before it had made contact with my head, like he had been aiming for. "Don't declare yourself as the enemy so boldly, idiot."

"We're not enemies," I reminded him with a smile, opening up the book to a random page. I skimmed the first paragraph I saw, and instantly shut it again. I tossed it back at him, not wanting to relive the memories back in the days when I had been training to become an official vampire hunter and had to study for my written test. I had failed the mock exams more than four times, and even when I managed to pass the actual exam, it had only been by a single mark. I didn't want to remember those days of memorizing useless things. The thing that the textbook had written in it was the bloody history between vampires and hunters, something that I had hated to read about during my study period, simply because I could never remember the correct dates. "Saying something like _that _is disregarding the entire treaty we have going on that states we're the opposite of enemies."

Yagari shot me a fierce look, catching the book with ease. I understood what he had been trying to tell me—that despite everything, we weren't truly their allies and we probably never would be. "Don't smart mouth me. Sit down and shut up, all of you. I'm getting paid to teach you guys whatever is in this goddamn textbook, so I'm going to teach you all what's in this goddamn textbook, got it? Talk all you want and introduce yourselves individually later."

I glanced at Ichijou, who had shifted further to create room for me at the desk he was occupying. There was plenty of room, since he had the entire table to himself. I blinked at him, silently questioning for permission, and he smiled in response.

"Ivy, _sit_," came Yagari's exasperated voice.

"Sorry, I am, I am!" I exclaimed as I slid into the seat next to Ichijou. Yagari's eyes met mine in a warning, and I smiled back at him in response. He let out a loud sigh before turning around and starting his lesson.

Not seeming to pay attention to the vampire hunter at the front of the classroom, Ichijou whipped a writing utensil out from the inside of his school jacket, writing on the desk between us in perfectly neat lines and strokes. When he finished, he shifted his arm away to let me read it clearly.  
><em><br>Sorry about the unpleasant welcome. It's just that it's different. I'm sure that everyone will get used to it soon._

Looking up at him, he smiled and held his pencil out to me, prompting me to return his message with my own. Luckily, he was using something that could easily be erased. Hesitantly taking the pencil out of his hands, I wrote underneath his note, _"It's fine, don't worry about it. I understand. Thank you for being so kind. Please take care of me from now on."_

Taking his pencil from me, he scribbled down efficiently, _"Please take care of me, as well. It's nice to meet you, and I hope that we'll get along well."_

We shared smiles with one another for a brief moment before Yagari slammed his textbook shut abruptly, startling everyone and having our attention switched to him. Almost as if he didn't even realize what he had done, he continued on with his lesson, the closed textbook held in his hand as he blabbered on about stuff that I knew I had learned when I was younger, but couldn't really remember.

And even though some people just brushed off what he had done easily off their shoulders and just let it slip their minds, I saw it in a different way.

To me, it was, _"Don't get so friendly with them."  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>AN : **

And that concludes the second chapter! Man, I don't know how it ended up so long. I mean, seriously. What happened? OTL. I didn't even plan for it to be like this, it just sorta happened. -sigh-

Sorry if it hurt your eyes, guys ):

I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes, and if anyone was OOC. SPEAKING OF WHICH, I'd really appreciate it if you guys told me if there was any OOCness in this chapter. Or, well, at any point in this story, really. (:

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**menono1011, waitingfor2012, Noxly, Melanie Rose, MoonlitNite, noname, Shannyrox101, Shadowsnow, Tsukuda Sumiko, and Yamai-san**

You guys are amazing for reviewing for me, so thank you so much!

Also, a great thank you to all of you guys who favourited and alerted! It means a lot (:

Mm, this next section is a DIFFERENT kind of thank you. It's a "thank you" that's not exactly a, "WHOA, YOU'RE AN AMAZING PERSON AND I LOVE YOU FOR REVIEWING FOR ME" kind of "thank you". It's more like a, "Er, thanks for taking your time" kind of "thank you". This is directed to... Well, you're all the same person, but I'm going to write all your different anon names anyways. It's for... **Undercovervaginapower, jujubeene1, WhataJOKEXD, ReviewSong, KO, Fuckmypussyrealhard, Junkyassbitch, Ugly ass whore, BobbiesFTW, Niggs, Everlastingbitchnotsong, Ihavevaginasinmypenis, Gay4dalife, Youshallhavesexwithme, Whore, and Slut.**

To that anon that took on all those different names to review for me and think that I wouldn't realize it was the same person-or, well, you and your friends-thanks for wasting so much time of your life doing this. LOL.

Will you listen to my response to your obvious hatred towards me? (: **THIS IS GOING TO BE A RESPONSE TO AN ANON, SO... EVERYONE ELSE CAN SKIP IF YOU WANT (:**

To be honest, when I first read your review, I was quite surprised. I had never gotten insulted like that before, and really, I didn't hate you for it, nor was I angry. I spent a lot of time thinking about it and about how I could improve on my writing and all that, but that was until you started spamming my inbox with all your shit.

I'm not mad at the fact that you're insulting me; I mean, like... Seriously. Call me a bitch, call me whore, call me an idiot, call me a retard, I don't really care what you say as long as it's _about me._ However, when you use words like "gay faggot" or "niggas" as insults, then that's what pisses me off the most. There's absolutely nothing wrong with homosexuals, and it's discrimination. The word "niggas" is racist. So, bro, if you're going to insult me, do you mind aiming it at me and _not_ at others as well?

You only read one chapter and you're already assuming that Ivy's a Mary-Sue. Oh, god. Someone tell me what the world has come to. I don't understand what's the deal with everyone thinking nice OC characters are Mary-Sue characters, but you know what? I'm not even going to get into that with you. Ahmygod. Secondly, I never said that I own Vampire Knight. Please, _please_just read the disclaimer at the top and realize that I never once claimed Vampire Knight as my own. You're on a FANFICITON SITE, BRO. I just- I'm speechless. What? Please, can you find legit arguments or something? I also never said that Zero would be "forgetting" Yuuki. Please. As if that's possible. Do you know what people say about others that assume? (:

Who do you think _you_ are? Dude, please read the story before you start bashing me using such stupid comments. Do you know why it's called Heterochromia? IT'S BECAUSE IVY HAS HETEROCHROMIA. Ahmygod, are you serious? Read the story. Just _read_ it instead of just skipping everything and going over to spam me with your hate. I'm _not _making fun of people with heterochromia at all. It's like saying that, I don't know, a book titled "Purple Unicorn Socks" or something is making fun of people who actually own purple unicorn socks. Jeez. And spell "disease" right, will you?

Your anon names sound extremely sexually frustrated, by the way. Yes, I know that Ivy's a sexy beast, but can you _not_ give me a run-down of how you masturbate? I really don't want to know. BUT, the fact that you seem to have BOTH a vagina and a penis in one of your reviews kind of concerns me. I suggest you see a doctor. Not to mention that you don't stick vaginas into penises; you stick penises into vaginas. PLEASE. Dude, I worry about how you'll do during sexual intercourse. I worry about you, I really do. Please jack off silently and _not _give me your details on it.

I would've taken you seriously if you had sent ONE review telling me everything you wanted to say regarding how much you hated it and all that, but you didn't. I mean... Are you joking with me? You spammed me with reviews with one minute apart for most of time. If you _really_ have this much time on your hands where you can constantly hound me and this story, can you spend that tie volunteering at a hospital or, I don't know, learning how to _spell_ correctly? Ahmygod, I don't even know what to say about your spelling and your grammar. Please. Go back to school. Just go. OTL.

Bro, there's a _reason_ why I'm a straight A student and why I've never, not even _once_ in my _entire_ life, gotten below 90 percent in my English courses and why my teachers have asked if they could have copies of my work for reference.

Something for you to think about? It's the fact that it's because of people like you that others commit suicide. Have you ever been bullied, anon? Do you know what it feels like? Do _you_ have some kind of disease? 'Cause I'll tell you something about me; I've gotten bullied and I have a weak body. I've got asthma and I've gotten pneumonia more than just once in my life. I have attracted diseases that I didn't even know I could get at my age and had to get hospital treatment for, and I've broken a few bones in my life. If you _really _think you're all that, please think again. Are you over thirteen? Seriously, I wonder if you'll survive in the real world.

Iunno what else to say to you, man. Except that you need to get a life, learn how to spell properly and all that, and find better reasons to hate on other people if you're going to hate at all, which I don't suggest. Don't waste your time insulting people like me who won't give a shit, and don't bother wasting your breath insulting others at all. Use your life to become a better person that knows how to spell. Please. I'm being serious.

And I'm going to delete most of your useless comments. Thanks for wasting your life and effort doing this, though. (:

**AND THAT CONCLUDES MY LONG SPEECH TO THE ANON.**

MAN, THAT WAS A LONG RANT. HOLY CRAP. To those of you that actually read all that, I'm so sorry for the walls of text. And, you know. For my language. -SHOT-

But, yeah. I'm done. HAHA.

I hope that you guys liked the second chapter and will continue to support me! (: Thank you so much for the love you guys gave me for the first chapter, and I hope that you'll continue supporting me and this story ;D

**Also, to all of those than personal messaged me words of encouragement, thank you _so_ much**. You guys have no idea how much it meant to me, and I was so happy that you guys did something like that. I was extremely touched, and I love you guys for it. So, yeah. Thanks a lot, guys (:

Please drop me a review on what you thought of the chapter; it'd be greatly appreciated~ GIVE ME SOME LOVE SO I CAN START SCHOOL, GUYS. -SOBS-

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	3. Our Past's Years Ago

**Disclaimer : Nope, I don't own VK or any of the characters.**

**A/N :**

I've been writing like a madwoman the past few days, even though I shouldn't be. My schoolwork's piling up like a mountain, but ANYWAYS.

As you can all see, I got the third chapter finished. I'm pretty proud of myself. xD So I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! (:

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER THREE;**

_"Our Past's Years Ago"_

* * *

><p>Sighing as I opened up the door that led to my room, I threw the new textbooks I had gotten onto the desk that was placed in front of one of the large, stretched out pentagonal windows. They landed with thuds on the dark oak desk, and I shut the door behind me as I glanced around at my own dorm room.<p>

There was an enormous king-sized canopy bed with two bedside tables connecting to it in the very center of the ridiculously spacious room. Kaien knew me so well; he had deliberately picked a room in which the walls weren't grey, but rather a pure white. Each wall had a different design painted on it with a vivid green in an art style similar to graffiti. They weren't extremely large, but they were noticeable and definitely amazingly beautiful. The smooth, thick curtains that were pulled to the bed posts of the bed were dark blue and plain, contrasting with the intricate thread-created designs that were embroidered into the pale emerald blanket that matched the colour along the walls. There were numerous white pillows resting at the front of the bed and against the white frame. The floors were a dark, rich brown, and there were three windows, considering I had gotten a room at the corner of the second floor. Two were on one wall that faced the main entrance to Cross Academy while the third was on the adjacent wall which faced out to one of the five gardens that Cross Academy had. There was a door that led to the connecting bathroom, and the other door next to it was one that led to the small walk-in closet that was there. A dresser stood pushed on the wall next to the door, and a bookshelf was in the corner next to the desk.

Spotting my suitcase and duffle bag resting at the foot of the bed, I made my way towards it, grasping the handle and lifting them up onto the bed. Opening up my suitcase, I dug through the clothes I had brought and other necessities to find the two photo frames that I had wrapped carefully in cloth. Thankfully, they hadn't broken, and I gently ran my fingers along the frames before sighing and placing them on the bedside table next to one another.

I spent another moment just staring at the faces in the photos, a heavy feeling entering my system like always. Mixed emotions whirled around inside me, and feeling the bitterness well up in my stomach, I quickly tore my eyes away and resumed my task of unpacking my things.

I understood, I understood, I _understood_.

But that didn't mean anything at all.

* * *

><p>"Ah, Ivy-chan!" Kaien greeted me cheerfully as I poked my head into his office, standing up from his chair behind his desk with a bright smile. It dimmed down slightly as realization hit him, though. "Shouldn't you be in bed right now?"<p>

"You already know I hate sleeping," I pointed out to the legendary vampire hunter with a light smile. "Sorry to be disturbing you. I'm sure that you're busy right now, with what's been going on lately. I heard that The Council is still not pleased about the Night Class returning, and neither are the parents of the Day Class students."

He waved a hand dismissively, sitting down again. I took a seat on an armchair in front of his desk, pulling my knees up to my chest once more and resting my forearms on them. "It's true that they aren't pleased, but I'm sure that they'll be persuaded into giving their full consent sooner or later."

"That's good," I commented with a smile, my eyes taking in the way the older male had a tired and worn expression on his face, though his eyes were still shining vibrantly.

"It is," he agreed wholeheartedly, letting out a small laugh. He blinked his topaz-brown eyes at me from behind his clear spectacles for a moment, and I met his gaze in confusion. After a moment of silence, he inquired lightly, "So how was your first day as part of the Night Class? Were my adorable students treating you well?"

I didn't really need to think. "Ichijou's extremely kind." After the little stunt Yagari had pulled, nothing eventful happened afterwards. Ichijou had been pulled away by Souen Ruka the minute class ended, although we managed to say our farewells before he disappeared from my sight. I had stayed after class to help Yagari clean up, and then we had headed back to the dorms, where we went our separate ways. Before making my way to Kaien's office, I had peeked inside Yagari's room, only to find the one-eyed hunter sleeping soundly on his large bed.

Kaien positively _beamed_ at me, his eyes glazing over slightly in a way that made me thinking he was about to cry. He sniffled slightly, "Isn't he? Ichijou-kun is such a nice boy. I'm glad that you two are getting along well. It makes me so proud of both of you!"

A laugh escaped me, and I grinned at the headmaster. "There's really not much to say about the rest, although I think Kaname hates me already." I paused briefly for a moment, and when I spoke again, my voice was quieter and more solemn. "He has such sad eyes, Kaien."

"Kaname-kun?"

"Yeah, but not just him. Zero has the same kind of misery in them, too," I clarified softly, my mind flashing to the two males. So different, yet so incredibly alike. "The despair that they try so desperately to hide is so conspicuous, it's hard to watch them try and pretend like everything's okay."

His voice lacked its usual jovial tone, and was replaced with one that was similar to mine. "Perhaps that's only because all Tashiro members have such unbelievably perspective eyes."

I wasn't sure how I could bring myself to raise an eyebrow at him in such a situation, but somehow, I did. "You know just as well as I do that our eyes have nothing to do with this. You're just making excuses—you see it just as clearly as I do. They're miserable."

"Don't say something like that." He tried to smile. "It breaks my heart to hear such words." The tilt of his lips he tried to keep up slid back down into a frown at the look on my face, and he let out a sigh. Brushing some loose strands out of his eyes, he murmured, "But I suppose you're right."

"To have them back..." I trailed off for a brief moment before meeting his eyes with my own once more. "That's horrible, you know?"

"Wouldn't it be more horrible if they were left the way they were?" he asked quietly, genuinely wanting an answer that nobody could give him. "They were all trying so hard to erase the other out of their lives, trying to forget things that can't be forgotten. Suffering all alone, suffering while trying to keep it all hidden. I... I can't just sit patiently and watch as the bonds between my beloved children are being torn right in front of me."

"And it's natural to feel that way," I reassured him, "but maybe forgetting would be easier. Maybe distance is what they need."

Kaien slowly shook his head. "Like I said earlier, you can't forget things that can't be forgotten. They're imprinted into one another now. They can't be without one another."

"Then why aren't they _with _one another?" I countered, dropping my eyes from his and staring at the surface of his desk. "I don't understand how you can tolerate this. I've been here for just one day and I already feel like it's suffocating me. The way Zero looks at her..." It was like he thought she was a million miles farther than he could reach, even though all he had to do was take another ten steps to pull her into his arms. It was a sad look—a look of longing that was so heartbreaking, it made my own heart clench painfully just seeing it.

"Do you think," he started slowly, "that he'll ever completely heal?"

"No," I answered him honestly. "Not with the path he's going down right now, at least. How can you expect him to, Kaien? There will always be scars left behind, no matter how much time passes."

Kaien was silent for a moment, and I felt his eyes scrutinizing me slightly, softly. His eyes were nothing like theirs. His eyes were not nearly as cold, as hateful, as scary. "Will you take care of him where my arms can't reach, Ivy?"

"I would do so even if you didn't ask." I flicked him a glance.

His lips gradually curled up into a knowing smile, his mind flashing, just like mine did, to what had transpired years ago. "You're right."

The atmosphere instantly lightening up, I grinned back at him and uncurled myself from his armchair, standing up and straightening my clothes out. "Well, I dropped by for a small chat, so I think that it's time I take my leave now."

"Where are you going?" Kaien inquired curiously, glancing at my regular civilian clothing that consisted of a pair of dark jeans faded at the knees, a striped white and light green t-shirt, and a thick white cardigan. "Surely you aren't going to hunt in the day?"

Shaking my head, I told him, "I'm really just going to go visit the library on school grounds. I've been meaning to get some new material to read, and knowing you, you'll have a million books in there."

"You wouldn't need so many novels if you slept properly," he hinted hopefully, widening his eyes to look more innocent.

Amused, I said, "Nice try, but that's not going to work. Besides, I really don't mind spending my time reading. I want to fill up the bookshelf that's in my room, anyways. I only brought one or two of the books I haven't read yet from home." Even though I'd only be borrowing them from the library, I knew that if I really loved the book, I'd go to the bookstore in town and buy a copy of my own.

He pouted slightly at me, looking disappointed that he had failed to bring me back to the world of regular sleeping habits. "But it's unhealthy for you."

"I'm already unhealthy," I reminded him softly with a slight upward tilt of my lips. "Thanks for the room, Kaien. Did you purposely renovate it when you heard I was assigned here, already knowing I'd choose to live in that dorm?"

His teeth flashed widely and brightly. "Of course. I wanted to make sure that you're comfortable here, Ivy-chan. What shall we call the dorm, anyways? Do you have any suggestions?"

Taking a few seconds to contemplate his question, I thought about how the other two dorms related to their respective beings. Although Kaito and Yagari were both humans, Zero and I weren't, which balanced it out into something in the middle. "Dawn?"

"The time in which the sun starts to break through the hours of the night to start a new day?" he defined, pausing for a moment to run it through his head. A huge grin appeared on his face not much later, and he nodded his head enthusiastically, reaching over his desk to grasp one of my hands. Dramatically, he announced, "I love it! That's a fantastic idea, Ivy-chan! I'd expect nothing less from you, my sweet daughter!"

I noticed what he had said right away, and I froze temporarily. He, reacting to how I responded to his words, stiffened slightly as well. But my heart warmed, and I smiled at Kaien with soft eyes. A relieved look fluttered along his face, and I let out a laugh as I squeezed his hands before slipping away from his hold.

"Take care while heading over to the library, Ivy-chan," Kaien said as I turned my back on him and began to head for the door that led back out into the hallway. I had no idea why he was telling me to be careful—after all, I was only heading over to the library. I didn't question him on it, though.

Laughing as I looked over my shoulder at the head of the academy, I piped, "I'll be going now!" Opening up the door, I made sure to close it as quietly as I could behind me before continuing down the hallway and heading outside.

* * *

><p>I had turned the corner in the hallway towards the library when someone unexpectedly crashed into me, or I had bumped into him. I wasn't really sure, but I stumbled back a few steps, as did the male. The towering stack of books he had been carrying toppled over and fell thunderously onto the floor all at once, some books sliding along the marble ground while others had opened up and landed on folded pages.<p>

"Sorry!" I automatically exclaimed, crouching down to pick up the books. Looking at them, I realized that they were all the same novel. There was no response for a moment, and confused, I looked up to see who stood there.

Clad in the black Day Class uniform that fit an athletic physique, a male that stood just two or three inches shorter than Zero blinked his stormy grey eyes at me. His skin was tanned to a beautiful bronze, his dark hair short and spiked up in a way that didn't look styled, but rather just how it looked when someone rolled out of bed without bothering to comb it. He didn't have the perfect features that all vampires possessed, but I knew that by human standards, he was considered extremely handsome. Even I, a vampire, could tell such an obvious fact.

He flushed slightly, averting his gaze. Crouching down to help me, he reached for the dropped books as well. "No, it's my fault. I should watch where I'm going. Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine," I reassured him with a small laugh. Picking up the last book and placing it on the top of the pile I had gathered, I carefully picked up the entire stack and straightened myself out. He only took another few seconds to follow my actions, carrying his own load.

"Thanks for helping me." His smile was small and timid. Balancing the books in one hand, he reached out towards the pile I held, shooting me a confused look when I moved away.

I grinned at him. "I'll help you carry them."

"No, it's fine," he protested, trying to take the books out of my hands once more. And like the previous time, I moved out of his way easily. "I can't possibly make you help me. And besides, it's heavy, so you shouldn't have to do this."

"You've got it wrong," I informed him, raising my eyebrows. "You said it yourself—it's heavy, right? Of course it is when you're carrying all of them yourself. That's why you should let me help. Besides, I really don't mind."

He contemplated it for a moment, looking somewhat horrified at my statement. Almost as if sensing my stubbornness though, he let out a soft and resigned sigh. Tilting his lips upwards slightly, he negotiated, "At least let me take a few more from your hands."

Tilting my head slightly to scrutinize him, I wondered why he was being so nice to a stranger. Admittedly, he had no idea that I was a creature that killed his kind to survive, but I wasn't sure if it was normal for males at this age to be so gentlemanly.

While I had been staring at him, he had swiftly reached out and took the top four books off my pile and placed it onto his, a pink hue reaching his ears now. He didn't look at me as he said in a slightly strained voice, "S-Shall we go?"

"Sorry," I apologized with amusement mixing into my tone. My quiet footsteps were a second slower than his so that he led the way to where he had to go. "It was rude to stare."

"A-Ah..." he trailed off for a moment, his face darkening slightly. "It's fine."

The fact that he was blushing baffled me. Growing up, I was surrounded by murder and hunting. Both females and males grew tough over the years, as well as gruff. It was rare to meet anyone that flushed unless it was from exertion, so seeing the grey-eyed student's face colouring in front of me so often was something I wasn't used to.

He let out an almost non-existent noise of surprise before whipping his head over to look at me. Meeting my eyes with his own unwaveringly, something that automatically struck a chord in my heart, he introduced, "I'm Aoyama Kenta. It's nice to meet you."

"Tashiro Kaori, but everyone just calls me Ivy. It's nice to meet you, Kenta." I told him with a smile as we exited the doors of the building and out into the cool air of mid-autumn. It wasn't cold enough for my cardigan to not provide enough cover, but it wasn't warm enough for me to not feel the wind through the thick material.

Upon hearing his given name, he darkened to match the hue of a ripe tomato, although he didn't protest about it. "You're a new student to Cross Academy, aren't you, Tashiro-san?"

"Ivy's fine," I grinned at him. "And yeah, I am. How'd you know?"

"I don't remember seeing your face anywhere," he murmured softly, letting out a slightly strained chuckle. "I'm assuming you're in the Night Class?"

Raising an eyebrow at him curiously, I asked, "What makes you say that?" Some humans were able to tell that something about vampires were different from humans, not because of our looks, but because of our auras, or how our scent wasn't the same as a normal human's should be. I had to find out whether or not Kenta was one of those humans so that I could decide how to act appropriately around him.

Uncertainty jumped onto his face. "I assumed that since you aren't in class like the rest of the Day Class students..."

"Ah," I nodded at him in understanding. So it hadn't been because he sensed something about me that seemed unnerving like the Night Class, but because of how I wasn't in class. That made a lot more sense, now that I thought about it. "Well, you're right. I'm a new Night Class student. Even though we're not in the same class, I hope that you'll take care of me."

"The same could be said about me," he returned with a small grin. I wasn't sure how someone like Kenta could be so nervous and shy around girls—_especially _with the way he looked, and his personality. I would imagine that girls drooled over him constantly and that he'd get used to it, but it was either they didn't consider him attractive enough, or he never got comfortable and familiar with the affection.

Either way, it was cute and refreshing.

With a joking smile on my face that matched my tone, I inquired, "So are you going to tell me what's up with all these exact same copies of one single literature novel, or do you just love it so much that you've decided you needed all thirty-something copies?"

He let out another small laugh, the sound smooth. His face was still red as he answered, "We're starting classical literature analysis today, and our teacher forgot to get the novels, so..."

"You offered to get them," I finished for him, a smile on my face. "That was nice of you. I'm surprised that nobody else is with you, though. I mean, there are so many books. Surely your teacher would've asked someone to help?"

Kenta looked slightly sheepish. "Well, I was supposed to have a box to put them in, but it broke and they ran out of new ones."

"No wonder," I mused aloud. "That makes me glad that I came around in time to help."

We were halfway to the building that belonged to the Day Class now, the tip of the rooftop pointing up slightly above the clusters of large, tall trees that were distributed around the academy, creating almost mini forests. Some groups of trees were thicker and larger than others, and for some of the pathways, cherry blossom trees lined both sides of the trail, creating a beautiful walkway when they bloomed in the spring.

"I'm really sorry," he apologized softly, his eyes trained ahead of us. When the wind blew by, his feather-like hair swayed slightly before resuming their somewhat messy positions again.

"For what?" I raised an eyebrow at him, and even though he hadn't been looking at me, I had a feeling he caught the action in the corner of his eye.

He elaborated, "I'm sure that you have something better to do."

I let out a laugh. "Trust me, I really don't." What I said was true, but also not. It really depended on how you looked at it. I _could_ have gone into town like Kaien had originally thought and tried hunting sleeping Level Es, or I could've went to Headquarters and tried helping those that were there, but none of those things were _required_. Of course, I was supposed to go take some vampires off of the list at some point, but it had never stated specifically when I should be going into town to do my job, which meant I could do it whenever I wanted to. So at the moment, I was pretty much free to go off on my own, since I didn't have classes during the day and considering the fact that I didn't want to make a trip to town just yet.

Shaking his head, he tried, "You must be busy trying to unpack, or you could be getting to know the school..."

"I've already finished unpacking," I countered easily, "and I _am _getting to know the school this way. Besides, since I'm new, I really don't know anyone. I think that making new friends is one of the most important things to do when coming to a new school, don't you agree?"

"T-That's true," he stammered, the nervousness still in his tone.

I was tempted to ask him why he seemed so jittery, but I bit down on my tongue to prevent the question from slipping out. It wasn't the best thing to ask, and I didn't want to sound rude. I had a feeling in my gut that I'd be seeing a lot more of Kenta anyways, so I would probably be able to pick up the reason sooner or later. So instead, I asked, "Have you read this book before?"

"I've only read a bit of it."

"Just a bit?" I glanced at him, the tone of my voice encouraging him to explain.

His smile was sheepish. "Well, my friend introduced me to another book at that time, so when I tried reading the other one, I was more interested in it. I forgot all about this one."

Laughing, I voiced my agreement. "I can see where you're coming from."

"You've already read this?" he questioned, his eyes meeting mine. It was the same kind of solid gaze as the first time, and it automatically made my lips curl up in a smile. Yet a part of me reprimanded how stupid it was to be happy of such a thing—after all, he had no idea what the eyes meant.

What other people thought when seeing them.

Bringing myself back to our conversation and internally giving myself a smack, I nodded my head at what he had asked. "I have. I didn't really like it though, which is kind of surprising, since I love a lot of classics. I actually love the author that writes this one, but... I just couldn't bring myself to enjoy it this time, no matter how much I love his work."

"I see," he murmured in his near-musical tenor voice. Even to my ears, it almost sounded as if he was singing instead of speaking in a regular way. "You were heading to the library earlier, weren't you? You must love books."

"I do," I confessed enthusiastically, my teeth flashing. "I spent a lot of time reading in the past, and I still do. I find it really fun."

There was a small smile on his face. "I can see that."

"How about you? What are your hobbies?"

By now, we had reached the building in which the Day Class students studied in. Even through the walls, the stench of hundreds of humans invaded my senses, their blood all smelling differently but still holding the same kind of general aroma. I could feel my throat starting to burn slightly, but it wasn't anything to be worried about. I knew that it was ten million times less painful for me here than it was for Zero. The fact that he was able to withstand it for so long without attacking someone was more than just amazing. His self-restraint was something that I could hardly understand, and I admired him for being able to stay in control of himself.

Kenta balanced the stack of books in one hand carefully and then opened the door before I could do it myself. He held it open for me in a chivalrous gesture. I entered first with a thanks and a grin, the warmth of the building engulfing me once more as I set foot into the building. We began to descend the vacant hallways that were brightly lit, the elegance of the building's interior something that was very clear.

"I play sports," he half-mumbled, sounding embarrassed as he picked up our conversation from before.  
><em><br>That _fact had been obvious to me the moment we had met. The muscles of his body and the way he moved stated plainly that he was an athlete, but I couldn't tell which sports he played to get such a physique. I had a few guesses in mind, but I wasn't sure, since I wasn't exactly a sports person.

"What kind of sports?" I asked him interestedly, my eyes darting to catch a few glimpses inside of opened classroom doors. A lot of students had their heads bowed as they copied down the notes that the teacher had on the board, but some of the ones who weren't paying attention to the lecture and saw the two of us walking by looked momentarily stunned.

His voice was hesitant and shyly quiet. "I swim and I play basketball." Under his breath, he added, "I also do kendo."

"Really?" My voice was awed, and I stared up at him in surprise. "That's amazing. You must be really busy with club activities, then."

"Sort of," he admitted, but a kind and gentle smile was on his face as he continued on, "but it's really fun to be with everyone on the teams."

"You shouldn't push yourself too hard," I reminded him, though I was sure he had heard it a million times before. It was a phrase that people had repeated to me more than just a few million times, so I knew that despite hearing the words, he really wouldn't be taking it easy even if he should be.

"I won't," he promised, though I knew he would be breaking it at some point. Despite what everyone said, they never seemed to realize when they were pushing past their limits. Nobody really seemed to understand their own boundaries, and I was sure that Kenta wasn't an exception. Although he probably wouldn't be breaking it consciously and intentionally, I had no doubt that it was a vow that would be broken like glass.

"Tell me when you have any competitions coming up?" I requested of him hopefully, smiling up at him when his eyes darted to meet mine accidentally in surprise. "I'd love to watch." The only problem was that I hoped I would still be around when it occurred, or that I wasn't busy on a mission that the Association would send me off to.

His face, which had returned to its usual tanned colour, got tainted with a light rosette once more. We stopped in front of a closed classroom door, and I picked up two familiar scents, shock fluttering through my system for a brief moment before it faded.

"Sure." He nodded his head slightly, and then inclined his head towards the door. The sound of chatter could be heard from inside, and I could hear a lot of personal questions being asked by females, followed by smooth responses and a lot of giggling. "We're here."

"Right," I grinned at him. "Are you going to open the door, or shall I?"

As if just realizing we were merely standing out in the hallway, he flushed a shade darker and hastily grasped the door's handle, opening it up. Due to his haste, he hadn't been careful about the novels. His steel eyes followed the movement as the first two books slid off the top of the pile and began to fall towards the floor.

Swiftly balancing the novels in one hand, I quickly caught the two books which had been falling in exactly the same way. Straightening myself out, I grinned at his wide eyes. "That was close."

"So _that's_ why it took you so long, Aoyama?" Kaito's scowling voice reached our ears, and the room that had been full of giggles and chattering had now been enveloped in a silence. I looked up at the older hunter, who was clad in a white dress shirt with a dark brown waistcoat over it, the small checker design white and black. He wore black slacks and a red tie, his clothes slightly wrinkled and his hair its usual mess of tawny waves. His eyes rested on Kenta for a moment before flickering over to meet my gaze. I raised an eyebrow at him in response, my lips pulling into a wider smile.

"Sorry, Takamiya-sensei," Kenta apologized quickly, sincerity evident in his tone. "Tashi—Ivy-san had offered to help me with the books when I met her in the hallways."

Smiling at Kaito, I was already walking around his figure towards the desk at the front of the room as I piped, "Sorry for keeping him. It's my fault that he took so long."

Kaito grabbed onto the back of my cardigan as I passed him, pulling me back so that I stood in front of him. "And what do you think you're going to do with those?"

For a moment, I stared uncomprehendingly at the handsome vampire hunter in front of me. I had always assumed that Kaito would prefer that, if we were to ever meet during the day, to pretend that we didn't know one another nor were familiar with each other, which was why I hadn't greeted him the moment I walked in. However, I doubted any teacher would act like that to a student—taking in the possibility that teachers acted like that to students at all—if they didn't know one another well.

I wasn't sure if this meant I was supposed to act like how I always did with him, or if it was just him trying to look like a student teacher that was annoyed. Muttering under my breath so quietly that I knew no human could pick it up, I asked, "What are you doing?"

He returned just as inaudibly, "Better question is what do you think _you're_ doing?"

I spoke in a regular tone now, answering his question from before. The look I shot him was strange and confused, something that he seemed to ignore. "I was going to put them on the desk."

"As if," he retorted as he let me go and folded his arms loosely in front of his chest. "Help Aoyama hand one out to every student, since you're here anyways."

I blinked at him for a second before smiling. "Alright." Looking at Kenta over my shoulder, I pointed to the side closest to the door, which just happened to be the right. "I've got this side of the room."

"Then I'll take the left," he answered, his lithe body already moving over to that side.

I gave two books to the table at the very front of the room, trying to ignore the stares that I got from all the students. They began whispering as they shot me glances, all of what they said easily picked up by my ears. I let out a small sigh as I continued passing the books out, climbing up the steps along the way.

Zero sat at the very far back of the right side at the desk closest to the back door. He had the long, spacious desk entirely to himself, and his glower had been burning into my head the moment I entered the room. When I reached him, I placed the book gently down in front of him and offered a smile that he didn't return, his eyes narrowing at me. His hand, which was cupped around the back of his neck, tightened slightly. His entire body stiffened when I had reached him.

Instead of saying anything to the gorgeous silver-haired Level D, I merely gave him another glance before making my way back down the steps, my hands empty of novels already. Reaching the very last step, I looked at Kaito again and inquired, "Anything else I can help with?"

His eyes met mine, his frown deepening slightly. "No, it's fine."

"Then I'll be going now," I told him, heading towards the door. I supposed that he _didn't_ want people finding out that we knew each other. I shouldn't be surprised, but what he had done earlier had confused me. I wasn't happy that I couldn't act myself around Kaito in public, but at the same time, I felt like it was okay if that was what he wanted. He must have his own reasons for it, and I wasn't about to call him out about it in front of a bunch of uninformed humans.

"Ah, Ivy-san!" A smoother, less nervous voice called out just as I opened up the door. Pausing at the doorway, I half-turned my body to face Kenta, whose face had once more flushed delicately in a way that made me want to ruffle his hair as I often did with my youngest brother.

"Yeah?" My head tilted almost absentmindedly as I looked at him.

"T-Thank you for helping me with the books." He gave me a smile that had girls in the class sighing softly.

Laughing, I shook my head slightly at him. With lips tilting upwards, I said, "I told you that I wanted to, right? You really don't need to worry about it. See you around, Kenta." I waved with one hand and then left the room without waiting for his response, shutting the door behind me as I left.

And as I began walking back down the hallway in which we had come from, I could hear the gossiping of the class getting louder once more before Kaito quieted them.

The only thing that stood out in all that chatter was the very nearly silent, smooth voice of Zero saying to me under his breath as I left, "Things like you should be asleep at this time." It wasn't a phrase that in particularly hurt my feelings, but the way he had said "_things_" had me frowning.

After all, the hatred put into that word not only referred to me, but him as well.

* * *

><p>I had been sitting under a half-bare tree reading a novel that I had checked out from the academy's library when a barely contained hostile presence made itself known to me. Tearing my eyes away from the words that had been printed on the sheet of paper, I smiled up at breathtaking amethyst eyes.<p>

"Is class over for you guys already?" I asked him curiously, looking around. A few people were out and walking around, but there weren't many. It was unlikely that classes were over for the day though, since it wasn't even twelve yet.

He ignored my question completely and asked me one of his own. "What are you doing out during the day?"

"Reading." I lifted up the thick book I had been occupying myself with before he had come. I knew that wasn't what he really meant, though.

"Why?" He looked at me with a similar downward tilt of the lips that he had years ago, although it was deeper now and had more than just a little bit of sadness laced underneath the action.

My voice was intrigued as I asked, "Kaien didn't tell you?"

"He said you'd be out during the day," Zero started as he looked down at me, "but he never said that you'd be in the academy while awake."

"Well, wouldn't you rather have me here, where you can actually have some sort of idea about what I'm doing, instead of in town, where I could be causing a lot of trouble without you even being aware of it?" I pointed out to him, my lips pulling higher upwards when his lips pulled downwards and his eyes narrowed.

His voice was a slight fraction more rigid than usual. "It sounds almost as if you're taunting me, Tashiro."

"Ivy," I corrected automatically. "Sorry if it seems that way, but I'm just saying that I'll probably be awake during the day a lot. I'm pretty sure you'll see me around frequently during the mornings and afternoons."

"Why aren't you asleep like the rest of the vampires?" Zero held no curiosity in his tone, but instead, the words were said with a cool blankness in them.

"I find it difficult to sleep," I said honestly, not seeing a reason to lie about it. I was sure that he had also heard this from Kaien and Kaito as well—maybe even Yagari. It wasn't some huge secret, and it wasn't as if just by knowing that I couldn't sleep properly, he could decipher the reason behind it.

"And why is that?" The words that came out of his mouth would've been obvious to a lot of people, but I hadn't expected it. Perhaps it was because I couldn't imagine Zero as the type of person to try and delve deeper into my business—or anyone's business, actually—any more than necessary. I was probably biased about it, but I couldn't see how understanding why I had a case of insomnia was necessary, even though he probably saw it as something significant.

Caught somewhat off guard, my smile faltered for a moment before I quickly regained my composure. The look on his face told me he caught my expression before I could smooth it out, though. "I don't know."

"If you're going to lie, at least be _good_ at it," he commented, calling me out on my bluff. "That was pathetic."

Amusement danced along my lips as they pulled up into a genuine smile. "You caught me."

"Are you planning to answer the question or not?" He didn't look entertained in the least.

Staring up at his cold lavender eyes that held barriers so easily broken through, I couldn't bring myself to lie to him and make up some false excuse as to why sleeping has become a problem for me. Albeit I felt that way, I also didn't want to bare my soul to someone who was unwilling to do the same. Was it really that wrong of me to feel like that, despite knowing so much more about him than he knew about me?

After another moment of silence as I pondered how to answer, I eventually settled with something that wasn't what he wanted to hear, but also wasn't a complete and utter lie. "That's a little bit personal, don't you think?"

Zero remained silent, his lilac orbs never once leaving my sitting form. Something about his eyes made me want to shrink and disappear. They were fierce, sharp, and so, so incredibly beautiful. The kind of eyes that felt like they were piercing you, trying to pull you inside out. The sort of eyes that looked almost as if they were about to break like cracking crystal.

Without another word, Zero turned away from me and began heading back towards the school building, not looking back once. His strands of silver shifted slightly with every step he took, his clothes wrinkling a bit more, and even though I couldn't see the expression on his face, my mind kept repeating the same phrase that I couldn't voice aloud to him.  
><em><br>Please, please don't look so sad._

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><p><strong>AN : **

Yeah, there wasn't all too much Zero and Ivy action in this. Sorry? But I really can't see them just talking all the time and being all buddy-buddy ;_; It'll take some time for the two of them to actually have a lot of interaction, so I hope that you guys will have enough patience to stick with me until then. xD It's not like I'm saying they won't interact and all that, but... Yeah. I don't even know what I'm trying to say anything. -SHOT-

Sorry for any spelling mistakes or grammar issues, and I apologize now for any OOCness that might have occurred.

So, y'know, what do you guys think of Kenta? -grins-

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**Tsukuda Sumiko, AliceMarieSwan, Kuro, Shannyrox101, L. Poxleitner, , x3sYellowie, and April Marciano**

You guys are amazing for reviewing for me, so thank you so much (:

OHMYGOD. To the reader whose name starts with "Kuro" but, well, obviously has something after it, I'M SO SORRY. Whenever I put in your full username and save the document, your name disappears from the list. I spent like fifteen minutes trying to fix it, but it's not working. OTL. I'm sure you know who you are, right? I apologize for this, but I wanted your name to be included in the list. ): I hope you can forgive me. x.x"

Also, thanks a lot to everyone to favourited as well as alerted! You guys are pretty cool, too. ;D

**To Kuro;  
><strong>

... Sorry for shortening your name like this. OTL. I hope that you don't mind. And if you continue to flatter me like that, I'll get cocky. OTL. But thank you so much for your compliments! I was touched when I read your review, and I was surprised to know that you're also a reader of Shitsuren. I think it's 'cause I take so long to update, and I hadn't seen your name in the review section for so long. HAHA. But thank you so much for your support on both stories; it's amazing to know that you're a supporter for both fanfics. (: It's upsetting to know that you were also harassed and had to suffer through such painful things, but I hope that you're alright now? If it's still happening and you just feel like you need to rant to someone, I'm free whenever you need me. (: Stay strong, and thank you so much for your amazing support, as well as for reviewing!

**To Tsukuda Sumiko;**

Ah, but now it must mean that you've already started school again, right? I hope that you're hanging on alright. xD And yeah, the debate on his name... Mmnurgh, I just kind of ignore it now. It doesn't really matter to me as long as it's not something completely off. HAHA. Lydia... Ah. I don't think she'll be introduced in a while, actually. But when she is, I hope that she'll meet your expectations. I can't wait to WRITE about Ivy and Zero's interactions and how it'll help him get over Zero. Trust me. When I get around to them actually falling in love, I'm going to be so happy about it, I think I'll be seeing sunshine for weeks. But, er, it's going to a really slow process. A really, REALLY slow process. But even so, I hope that you'll stick with me through it. Thank you for your support! I won't let it get to me (: Man, I love Ichijou too. He's such a sweetheart. HAHA. As always, thanks for supporting me and reviewing! It makes my day.

So yeah. The third chapter's up, and I'm in the process of writing the fourth chapter. Sort of. I got, like... The first paragraph done. BUT ANYWAYS.

I hope that you guys enjoyed the chapter, and will continue to support me (:

Drop me a review telling me your thoughts if you don't mind, and... Mm... Have a good day, I suppose? HAHA.

Good luck with school guysss, and I hope that despite being stuck with lecturing teachers and early mornings, you guys are still having a lot of fun! I look forward to seeing you guys again soon!

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	4. Moving When Told

**Disclaimer : No, I don't own VK or any of the characters. They all belong to Hino Matsuri.**

**A/N :**

Ah, I got the fourth chapter written! xD After catching up with the recent chapters of VK, I started writing like a madwoman because it was one of the ways I vented out my anger.

-SHOT- Ignore that.

I wanted to thank all of you guys for how much love this story has been receiving. I honestly never expected so many reviews so early on, and I'm so flattered as well as delighted. So thank you so much, and I really hope that this will continue!

But yeah, guys. I hope you all like the fourth chapter! (:

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><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER FOUR;**

_"Moving When Told"_

* * *

><p>I sighed as I sat down, picking up the chopsticks that I had set out on the table beforehand. Flipping open the lid of the instant noodle cup, I leaned back as the trapped steam began to escape it rapidly. My stomach grumbled in eager anticipation, and after mixing up the noodles, I started to devour the food.<p>

"We _had_ some of those?" Yagari's slightly drowsy voice asked as he entered the kitchen, his wavy black hair messy. He was dressed in a crumpled old t-shirt and a pair of black track pants.

I covered my mouth as I laughed, not wanting the noodle bits to spray everywhere. I had experienced such a thing in the past and it definitely wasn't pretty. Placing my chopsticks down, I made my way over to one of the cabinets next to the fridge, opening it and taking out another bowl.

Swallowing, I grinned at him. "You should probably go get ready for classes, so I'll make it for you while you go change."

"Yeah, you do that," he mumbled, pivoting smoothly on his heels and heading back up the winding staircase to the fourth floor, which was where his room was. I occupied the third, while Zero took the second floor and Kaito the first. We all had an entire floor to ourselves, and the dorm itself was more than just enormous. While some people would feel like it would be a blessing to have so much room to themselves, my heart was uneasy.

Because even though I knew it was different, it somehow felt the same as how it was before.

Removing the plastic wrapping around the cup noodle box, I dumped it into the nearby garbage can. After I had put it in all the flavoured powder and hot water, I set it down on the table with a pair of chopsticks, the lid closed to help trap the heat.

Sitting down once more at the table, I continued eating my dinner, though I knew I'd probably get hungry later during class. It was nearly four-forty-five in the afternoon, and the lesson for Night Class students would be starting in about an hour and a half. I wondered how class would be like tonight—would Ichijou have been threatened by Kaname to stay away? Just thinking about it made me want to sigh. I wouldn't be surprised, but I also couldn't imagine Kaname doing something as lowly as that.

Or was I just thinking too highly of the Pureblood? I wasn't even sure anymore. The stories I'd heard about him and the impression he had left on me when we met yesterday both gave me different views on him. My opinion on him was scattered all over the place, resting somewhere between good and bad.

But what truly bothered me were his eyes—why?

The chair in front of me screeched slightly as it was pulled back, and Yagari slumped into it with a big sigh. Not even flicking me a glance, he opened up the steaming bowl of instant noodles and picked up his chopsticks. Before he ate, he inquired, "What's up with that stupid look on your face?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I returned lightly, smiling at him. For a few brief seconds, the only sound that could be heard was the loud slurping of noodles and chewing. Unfortunately, when Yagari decided he would be the first one to break the stillness that had settled between the two of us, it was a question that had me tensing up instantly, my stomach tumbling over.

"Why did they send you here, Ivy?"

Almost unconsciously, my hand clenched tighter around my chopsticks. I didn't meet his eyes as I continued to eat some more of my dinner, aware of his piercing gaze that watched me in a way that almost seemed wary. "I wasn't lying when I said it's because I can cough up more blood than anyone."

"I never said you were lying," he pointed out.

"Then why are you asking?" I shot back, lifting my eyes to meet his. No words transpired between us as we stared at one another in an assessing manner, trying to understand one another. Yet it would be futile to try and understand someone who had learned to built impenetrable barriers, wouldn't it?

Yagari broke off our staring contest, finishing his bowl of noodles rapidly. Slamming the empty Styrofoam bowl back down onto the table along with his chopsticks, his voice held a somewhat resigned tone to it. "I don't understand what's going on."

"With what?" Unlike the man in front of me, I took a bit more time with my meals. It wasn't as if I was savouring the taste of instant noodles, since I had been eating it pretty frequently ever since a month and a half ago, but the turmoil in my stomach made it hard to swallow the food.

"Your old geezers are so annoying," Yagari commented, his half-lidded eye meeting my gold and olive ones as he tipped his chair back onto the hind legs. "It was bad before, but it's getting worse now. I was wrong when I said that Lydia is the biggest pain in my ass when it comes to the Tashiro family."

My smile slipped off my face, pressing together into a tight line. I bit down hard on my tongue for a moment, trying to keep back all the profanities that threatened to spill out. The bitterness I held inside me stirred up again, but I quickly chained it once more, suppressing it. When the smile came back on my face, it was very slight and more than just a bit apologetic.

"Sorry," I told him sincerely, even though I knew that it wouldn't make anything better. "What did they do this time?" A part of me didn't even want to know the answer to that question, and yet a part of me couldn't help but be curious as to what sort of trouble they were starting up once more.

Yagari snorted softly to himself. "I should've known an idiot like you wouldn't have heard yet. They're opposing the decision that Zero will become the future President."

My eyebrows shot up for a moment before furrowing together. They were saying no to Zero becoming the future head of the Association? Something like dread began to trickle along my spine. "Why?"

"Why do you think?" he retorted, propping his long legs diagonally up on the table. He had them crossed at the ankles, his shoes already put on. I noticed that his usual cowboy hat was hanging off the back of his chair. "They think someone else deserves the title."

At this point, I already knew where this conversation was going. My heart thumped harder in my chest, the dismay seeping into my skin and into my heart. I felt so tired all of a sudden, like I had been working for days and days without respite, although in reality I hadn't been doing anything but reading the entire day. I definitely didn't want to hear something like this—I always knew that a day would come where a situation like this arose, but I hadn't expected it to be coming so _late_. I had actually thought they gave up on something as stupid as this.

I dragged my hands down my face roughly, my voice just a mumble. "They want me to do it, don't they?"

"Uh-huh," the ebony-haired hunter confirmed. "Do you know just how much trouble those old folks of yours are stirring up? Now some hunters are having second thoughts, even though it's clear who should take the position."

I ran a hand through my hair roughly, messy up the wavy locks even though I didn't really care. My heart was still pounding harder than usual in my chest, the sinking feeling in my stomach only increasing in intensity. "When is the conference going to take place?"

"In a month," Yagari answered after a moment.

"Why are they holding a conference so late?" I asked, confusion tainting my tone as I stared at the more experienced and wise member of the organization.

"To prepare their arguments, and for the other members of the Association to have enough time to think it through, obviously," he stated.

"Everything about what you just said sounded wrong to me," I started with a sigh. Finishing up my diner, I pulled a tissue out from the rose-decorated tissue box and wiped my mouth. "What's this 'preparing their arguments' thing you're talking about?"

Yagari folded his arms across his broad, very obviously muscled chest. Looking at him, he was definitely a lot more burly than Zero or Kaito, but that could also be because he was years older. He was a kind of brawny that was very noticeable, while the other two were built in a more subtly powerful way. "Seriously, what's going on through your head? They've got to present reasons as to why you're fit for running the branch here."

My eyes swept over his worn features. "So _that's_ why you've been looking more tired than usual lately. You're the one fighting for Zero's side."

"He's still a kid and he's definitely dangerous," Yagari half-muttered, "but he's still my stupid apprentice. I know him, and I know you. You're not suited for a job like this one, Ivy."

"I know," I agreed, propping my elbow up onto the table. Resting my chin into the palm of my hand, I asked him, "Are the candidates required to attend the conference?"

"It's not necessary, but it's probably better if they showed up," he informed me.

I turned what he said over in my head for a moment, wracking my brain for an idea. A month, which meant three weeks and a few days... It didn't take long for it to come to me—after all, it was the most natural reaction to have regarding such a situation. Grinning brightly at the Night Class teacher, I told him, "You can stop trying to find evidence to prove Zero's competence. I've got this covered, so just leave it to me."

He gave me a long, long look. "What kind of dumbass plan are you creating in your head?"

I waved his question off with my hand, my smile stretching. "You'll see."

"Ivy—"

The sound of the dorm's large doors opening interrupted our conversation, two people entering our own mini headquarters. Their footsteps paused for a moment in the doorway before they made their way to the kitchen almost inaudibly. Yagari gave me a stare that indicated our conversation wouldn't be forgotten. He tilted his head far back enough to see the doorway behind him just as Kaito's figure entered our field of vision, the other silver-haired vampire hunter's face visible over the brown-eyed male's shoulder.

"What the hell is _this_?" Kaito walked further into the room, pointing a finger at the empty cups of noodles we had in front of us.

"What?" Yagari and I both chorused together, glancing at the tall male.

Kaito folded his arms across his chest and gave me a disapproving look. "What happened to homemade meals?"

"What are you talking about?" I gave him a strange, bewildered look. "Why would you be expecting some kind of homemade meal?"

He stared at me for a long moment, almost as if _I_ was the weird one. "Lydia mentioned something about this the last time we spoke."

At the mention of my older sister, everything seemed to be clearer. I couldn't help but smile at the thought of her. "Well, she's wrong. I can't _cook _at all, unless it's simple things."

"Are you serious?" It was hard to tell which one triumphed in Yagari's slightly hoarse voice—horror, or disbelief.

"What's up with the way you said it?" Kaito asked suspiciously, looking at me with caution in his eyes.

"_Baking_ is different from _cooking_," I differentiated. "Back home, Lydia and Trance were the ones that cooked our meals. Satoshi and I made dessert." My heart clenched painfully in my chest at the thought of my siblings. Even though it hadn't been that long, it felt as if it had been years and years since I had last seen them and heard their voices clearly. I missed hearing Lydia calling my name cheerfully, and Satoshi's gentle laughter. I wondered when I would see them next, and couldn't help but hope that it would be soon.

Kaito and Yagari both looked at me like they had been slapped in the face. I could almost see Yagari's eyebrow twitching, and I wasn't sure if I was just imagining the throbbing vein along Kaito's temple.

"So you're telling me," Yagari started slowly, "that the only thing you can make is dessert?"

"Yup!" I piped cheerfully, standing up from my seat. I collected Yagari's bowl and his chopsticks as well as mine then made my way over to the sink where I placed the chopsticks in. I emptied out the rest of the soup in the sink, making sure that the drain was there. Throwing away the empty things, I turned on the tap and began to wash the two pairs of eating utensils.

There was a slightly provoking tone in Kaito's voice as he insulted, "I should've known that you can't cook properly. After all, it's _you_."

"Well, I know who I _won't _be making dessert for," I returned, though the joking tone was evident in my voice. Rinsing off the soap that was on the chopsticks, I grabbed the drying cloth that hung from the oven handle. Turning around and leaning against the counter, I looked at the other vampire in the room with a smile. "What kind of sweets do you like, Zero?"

His light lilac eyes met mine steadily. "I don't like sweet things."

My head absentmindedly tilted as I regarded the tall, strong hunter in front of me. "Is that so?" I murmured, though it slipped through my mouth without my consent. It had to be a lie, right? I couldn't imagine anyone _not _liking sweet food, but perhaps that was only because I was someone who couldn't survive without sweets like strawberry tarts or chocolate cakes.

"By the way, Ivy," Kaito's voice snapped me out of my own musings, "what were you doing with Aoyama today?"

Yagari's eyebrows quirked upwards. "Aoyama? As in the Aoyama in the same class as Zero?"

"Yeah," Kaito addressed Yagari before turning his attention back to me.

I gave Kaito a slightly reprimanding look. "What, are you really asking me this? Did you think I trapped him in a storage closet and then tried sucking him dry? You know that I don't do things like that."

He shook his head slightly, making his way over to the fridge. Opening it up, he bent at the waist to take a closer look inside at the contents. "That's not what I meant, you brat. I was talking about why you guys were so buddy-buddy."

Mystification tainted my tone. "Because we're friends?"

"You met the guy _today_," Kaito pointed out as he pulled something out of the fridge, throwing it over his shoulder without even looking. It headed straight for Yagari, who caught the carton of yogurt with ease. Kaito tossed Zero and me one as well before getting one for himself and shutting the fridge door closed.

Zero seemed to have something to say about the subject matter as well. "You caused a lot of disruption with your appearance. It was clear to everyone that you weren't a Day Class student."

"You walked into a classroom full of Day Class students?" Yagari shut his eye for a minute, letting his head fall back again. "You Tashiros..."

"Only know how to cause trouble," Kaito finished, tossing us all spoons this time. He opened up his yogurt container, which was peach flavoured. Even after so many years, it still hadn't changed. Taking a look at what he had given me, I felt my lips curling up into a smile.

Zero stared at the yogurt in his hand for a moment before throwing the container at Kaito and the spoon at me. "I don't want any."

"Yeah? Well eat it anyways," Yagari instructed, opening his own petite box and stabbing his small metal spoon into it.

I snatched the spoon out of the air as it came closer, Kaito easily stopping the tiny box before it hit his face. I twirled both of the spoons along my fingers, something that I had learned to do from another silver-haired, lavender-eyed male a few years ago. Thinking back about the time spent with him, I could feel a sadness settling over me once more.

"Oi, what are you doing?" Kaito stared at me with chocolate eyes, and I looked at him questioningly. He held up a spoon that wasn't his, giving a pointed look at my hand, which was one spoon empty.

Had I dropped it? I hadn't even been aware of that fact. "Sorry." Blinking almost dazedly, I took the unused utensil out of his hand. Pulling open the drawer that held all the eating tools, I dropped it in and shut the drawer before beginning my own yogurt.

"We still need to continue our talk about the Aoyama kid," Yagari reminded us.

Suppressing a sigh, I murmured, "I don't know what to say—I mean, nothing happened." I didn't understand why they were making such a big fuss over it. After all, it wasn't as if I had bit him and drank from him. He was also unaware of what I really was, and it wasn't like I betrayed the Association, so I couldn't comprehend why they were pressing me so hard about the matter.

Remembering something, I added, "And while we're on the subject about what happened today, what about _you_, Kaito?"

"What did I do?" He almost sounded challenging.

"Am I supposed to pretend I don't know you, or can I treat you like I always would? The same goes for you too, Zero. I'm not sure about whether or not you two would mind if people find about our relationships with one another or not." It was something that had been nagging at me in the back of my mind. I had told myself I'd ask Kaito about it after Day Class students' classes were over, but I had forgotten to visit him at the end of the school day, since I had been so absorbed in my book. The topic about Kenta and what had happened earlier today had reminded me of what I had wanted to ask the older hunter.

Even though I had directed the question specifically at Kaito and Zero, Yagari was the one who answered the quickest. "Would it really matter?"

"They'd find out eventually," Kaito replied as he stared down at his small snack. "There's no way that it wouldn't get out somehow. Especially since you don't seem to have a filter in your head half the time, Ivy."

I puffed my cheeks out, shooting Kaito a mock-angry look. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"What do you think?" he countered, his eyes darting to meet mine briefly. It was clear that he knew I was only joking, something that had me smiling despite having to put on an act just a few seconds ago. "Well, I really don't care about it either way."

"How about you, Zero?" I questioned the youngest male hunter in the room.

His response was something I had already predicted. "I don't care what you do as long as you're not in my way."

"Does that mean I can visit you guys in your class whenever I want to?" The hopefulness in my tone was smothered on the very top of my voice so that they could hear it clearly.

"Won't you be busy with other things?"

Looking at Kaito, I answered, "It depends on how you look at it. The order that takes utmost priority is to stay here at Cross Academy. Everything else isn't as important." And I was also supposed to be here to complete _that_. Once again, thinking about it caused me to feel sick to my stomach.

"I'm surprised that you're still getting assigned other missions," Kaito said pensively, his eyes narrowing slightly. "The Association really isn't that desperate. We aren't so short on men that we need hunters to be doing more than one assigned task at a time, which is why none of us here are doing it. Except for you."

My smile was amused. "That's 'cause you guys need to sleep. Kaito, you and Yagari are only human. If the Association overworks you and you don't get enough sleep, then we'll be losing more men than necessary."

"And what about Zero?" Kaito countered, looking expectantly at me.

The silver-haired hunter regarded me with the same sort of eyes that hadn't even changed once, no matter how many times I looked at them. It was the kind of eyes that had me feeling angry—like how I felt back then. When I had seen him, the frustration and annoyance I had been bottling inside seemed to melt away, simply due to how bad he truly looked. I had hoped that I would see _some _sort of break in his eyes, some sort of indication that he wasn't completely lost with his head over his heels.

So far, I had seen no such sign.

And it was making me feel irritated once more. I wasn't going to say that he wasn't responsible for my aggravated emotions, but I also wasn't going to blame it on him entirely. Perhaps it was just because I was so easily riled up about such a subject, and that was what made the slightly bitter feeling crawl up and make itself known to me whenever I thought about his situation.

"Zero isn't an insomniac," I stated the obvious. Wanting to avoid the topic, since I had a feeling everyone knew that it was just a little bit deeper than that, I finished my yogurt quickly, washing the spoon hastily and throwing my stuff away. "I'm going to go get changed for class."

"Ivy, don't tell me that you still think that—"

I paused at the doorway that led back out into the dorm's hallway, turning my head to look at him over my shoulder. I met his eyes with a small smile, cutting off what he was about to say. A small bout of laughter followed afterward. "I don't _think_ when it comes to this, Kaito. I _know_."

Without waiting for his response, I made my way out of the room and towards the light beige marble staircase.

Yes, I knew.

And all it did was make me feel more resentful than I already did.

* * *

><p>My eyes swept over the enormous crowd of both female and male Day Class students, all of them shouting. The girls squealed in such high-pitch tones that I winced slightly at the pain it brought my ears. They were all mobbing around the entrance to the Moon Dorms, a buzz in the air that I didn't quite understand.<p>

I looked up at Zero for answers. "What's going on?"

"What does it look like? The lessons for the Night Class are starting." He didn't even look at me as his strides became larger, though he still easily kept his grace. The answer he gave me told me nothing about what was going on—what _about_ the lessons?

Still perplexed, I watched him as he walked along the path that led to the entrance. People instinctively moved out of his way, backing farther and farther away from him, which meant they were moving away from the entrance. Their whispers about him weren't pleasant at all, and I knew that he could hear them. Did he truly not care about what others thought and said about him, or was he like me and _tried_ to ignore it?

With light steps, my feet carried me quickly over to where he was standing a few meters in front of the gates, his hands in his pockets and his black jacket unbuttoned. His tie hung loosely around his neck, his eyes looking a little too low to be staring straight ahead at the students. I stopped when I was right in front of him, and his expression turned into one of distaste as he eyed me.

"What is it?" he asked me.

"I don't like to be alone," I answered honestly with a smile. "And besides, I'm really curious as to what's going on. I'd ask someone else, but I don't think that it'd be a very good idea. You said earlier that you don't care if people know about our relationship with one another as long as it doesn't bother you, right?"

"I can't care if we don't have any relationship to begin with," he retorted easily, the scowl that was on his face matching the one that was embroidered starkly along his voice.

In an action that was considered a habit now, I reached up to wrap my hand around the familiar small, square gem that hung from the original necklace. I didn't meet his eyes as I agreed softly, "Right." But he didn't know, because he didn't remember. So all I was wondering now was a simple question—_why_ didn't he remember?

But then again, I supposed it was because we were so young. It probably never mattered to him as much as it had mattered to me.

"Ivy-san!" Kenta's unfamiliar, but recognizable voice exclaimed from behind me. Surprised, I turned around and was greeted with the sight of the tanned athlete jogging up towards me, his face flushed although I wasn't sure whether it was from exertion or from calling out towards me. He began to slow as he got closer, eventually halting a few feet away.

Unlocking my hands, I lifted one up in a small wave. Grinning, I greeted, "Yo!"

"Good evening, Ivy-san," he said politely. His eyes darted to the man that stood behind me, and he added, "Good evening to you as well, Kiriyuu-san."

I glanced at Zero from the corner of my eyes, and while his eyes had flickered to Kenta's to acknowledge what he said, no words came out of Zero's perfectly sculpted lips. He remained silent, his amethyst orbs moving away from Kenta's to clash against mine.

Refusing to be mesmerized by his eyes, I quickly looked away and back towards the Day Class student in front of me. "Why are you here, Kenta?"

"I-I wanted to tell you to have a good first day." His face got a bit darker. "I realized that I hadn't told you that when we met today."

Momentarily stunned at his sweetness, the thought of hugging him briefly fluttered through my mind before it disappeared. Resisting the action of wrapping my arms around him, I settled for a laugh and a smile. "Thanks, but... tonight's class is going to be my second."

"W-What?" He stared at me for a moment, his mouth opening slightly as if he wanted to say something else. He shut it after a second, an embarrassed look crossing his features. He rubbed his nose slightly with his index finger, his eyes darting around rapidly before falling to stare at the floor. "Sorry, then."

"What are you saying?" I grinned at him. "It's fine even if it's not actually my first day, right? I'm happy that you came all the way to tell me this."

More blood rushed up his face. "I-Is that so?"

"Yup, so don't sweat it," I reassured him. Glancing around, I noticed how everyone that had been eagerly facing the entrance to the Moon Dorms were now staring blatantly at us, though I shouldn't have been surprised. After all, even if Zero was intimidating and emitted a scary aura, he was more than just breathtaking gorgeous. Kenta was handsome as well, something that surely wouldn't go unnoticed by other girls.

The sea of faces staring at us reminded me something. I tilted my head at the athlete and inquired, "Hey, Kenta, do you know why everyone is gathered here?"

A dawning look appeared on his face. "That's right—since you're new, you haven't seen this... Ah, well... Everyone's just waiting for the Night Class students to come out of their dorm."

The first thought that ran through my head was, _"What_?" My eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "Why, exactly...?"

Kenta managed a small chuckle, his timid smile holding a splatter of amusement. "Because the Night Class students are all very... They're... a-attractive." Red coloured his ears.

"Well, yeah, but..." I didn't finish my sentence, instead looking around at everyone again. Were they all here just to see the Night Class students? I understood that vampires were exceedingly astonishing in humans' eyes, but they would wait around the entrance to the Night Class' dorms just to catch a glimpse of them?

Flashes of faces I remembered form the Night Class entered my mind, moving from random ones to more familiar ones, and then to ones that I knew I couldn't forget at this point even if I wanted to. I shouldn't have been surprised at the eagerness of the Day Class students—after all, even among vampires, a few of the aristocrats were somehow more beautiful and enchanting than the rest.

Abruptly, loud squeals could be heard. I tried my best not to wince at the sound, and I noticed how Zero didn't even flinch slightly at it. Had he gotten so used to it already that it no longer affected him?

Our eyes turned to see what the commotion was about, and my eyes widened slightly before I began to laugh.

"Takamiya-sensei!" chorused a bunch of girls as they gathered around the male that towered over all of them.

"Good evening, girls," he greeted, his attitude relatively different from usual. It wasn't as if he did a complete one-eighty, but he was definitely less grim when playing his role as a teacher-in-training. "You _do_ know it's time for Day Class students to be in their dorms, right?"

Many voiced their complaints, some of them hitting on him while doing so. It was an amusing sight to behold, especially when I noticed a lot of the males seemed to be sulking.

"Well, Kaito sure is popular," I commented, looking up at Zero. "Should we rescue him?"

Zero's eyes met mine for a second. "What 'we'?"

"I can't go in there alone," I protested, my eyes taking in the mob of excited girls. "They're going to crush me if I try and do it myself." It was clear that they couldn't truly overpower me, since I wasn't even a human. I could defend myself well against regular attacks, but verbal ones were an entirely different matter. I didn't care all too much about what was said to or about me, but I certainly didn't want to have to hear it if something like that could be avoided.

With perfect timing, the large black gates of the Moon Dorms began to creak open. All conversations were stopped short as the students of the Night Class were revealed to us, with the Kuran siblings standing side by side at the front. Sara stood a bit farther to the left, in front of Ichijou, and Aidou stood on the right side of Kaname, a cocky smile adorning his face. The rest of the vampires were around, while the ones that didn't seem to be as powerful or as close to Kaname and Yuuki were farther behind.

The girls and boys of the Day Class began to swarm around them, shouting out encouragements for the Night Class students to smile, or commenting on how attractive they looked. I heard some marriage proposals being asked as well. There were a lot of earth-shattering squeals, and a ton of names being shouted excitedly.

Kaito seemed to be more of a Guardian than Zero, as he chided, "C'mon, you guys. The Night Class have classes, and you guys need to be in your dorms. Stop making things difficult and leave them alone, alright?"

"Takamiya-sensei!" came numerous voices slathered with objection.

"Don't just complain," Kaito retorted, though his voice wasn't entirely rough. "Get moving back to your dorms, kids."

"Shouldn't you be helping him out, Zero?" I asked.

"I never asked him to get involved in the first place," came Zero's cool response.

I made a noncommittal sound, though my lips were tugged upwards. Aidou was greeting many of the students, while Ichijou was smiling kindly at them. Shiki and Rima were both indifferent as usual, not even flicking a glance at the students as they muttered lowly under their breaths to one another. Ruka and Akatsuki walked side by side, neither one of them saying anything, though the male's eyes flashed to the female noble more than once. Kaname offered slight, polite smiles at the students while Yuuki tried to do the same. Her eyes, however, wandered over to Kaito before resting on Zero.

When their eyes met, I felt like a bricks had fallen onto me. The atmosphere was so thick, so heavy, I felt like I was being suffocated. Something inside me flared, and my lips tightened into a line.

Would it ever change?

Not wanting to witness such an intimate-looking moment, I pivoted on my heels and reached out, grabbing onto Kenta's wrist. He let out a soft, surprised noise, but his feet were placed one in front of the other as I quickly dragged him away from where we had been.

"I-Ivy-san?" His voice sounded from behind me, not even slightly out of breath. "Where are we going in such a hurry?"

I slowed down to a more regular walking pace, my grip on him released. Swerving around so that I could walk backwards and face him, I said, "I just didn't want to be there anymore."

Kenta stared at me for a moment as we continued our walk, his eyes trying to understand me. After a moment of silence, he asked hesitantly, "Do you... Do you not like Kiriyuu-kun and Kuran-san together?"

My eyebrows shot up as his observation, and I made a contemplative noise. "Well, it's not like I don't like them together. It's just that... it's so pathetic that it's smothering." The last few words had been said under my breath and were too quiet for human ears.

"It's just that...?" he prompted, thinking I hadn't finished my sentence.

"Nothing," I brushed off, a smile on my face. "We've got to separate here, since I've really got to get to class. Thanks for coming to wish me a good second day, Kenta. I'll see you around for sure."

His dark silver eyes told me he wasn't quite satisfied with my answer, nor the way I evaded speaking more on the subject, but he made no move to call me out on it, something that I was thankful for. It would be too hard to explain to him my thoughts on the topic.

"Alright," he agreed softly. His lips tilted upwards slightly in an encouraging smile. "I hope to see you around, Ivy-san."

"Don't worry, you definitely will," I grinned at him, already walking backwards down the path that led to the classroom. "Later!" Whirling around, I hurried down the path that led to the class, knowing that some of them had seen me pulling Kenta away and were probably thinking I was eating the poor guy.

But they had no idea, did they?

That I wasn't "normal".

* * *

><p>I let out a sigh as Yagari signaled the start of the twenty minute break before the start of the next lesson.<p>

"Ah, Ivy-chan, I forgot to ask you at the beginning of class," Ichijou turned his body to face me, "but where are you staying? I noticed that you aren't in the Moon Dorms. Does this mean you're staying at the Sun Dorms instead?"

"Ah, no." I tore my eyes away from the female Kuran Pureblood to look at Ichijou. I shook my head and smiled at him, propping an elbow up onto the desk. Resting my chin in the palm of my hand, I explained, "I'm staying at the abandoned dorm, since it's not exactly right if I stay in the Moon _or_ Sun Dorms."

His eyebrows furrowed together. "Really? But it seems so lonely to be living by yourself in such a large place."

"Actually, I'm not alone," I corrected him with a mild grin. "Yagari, Kaito, and Zero are there as well. Since there are others living in the same building as me, it's not as lonely."

But it was.

"Oh?" A tinkling soprano voice joined our conversation. Kurenai Maria stopped in front of our desk, her pale hair tied in its usual style which consisted of a small bun on the side of her head, created from the first layer of her hair while the rest of her tresses splayed out along her back. She was paler than most vampires, something that came with her sickly body, but it didn't take away any of her beauty at all. "Tashiro-san, you live with Zero-kun now?"

I took note of the affectionate tone in her voice. "Yeah, but I don't see him very often, since I'm usually not there."

"Is that so?" A beautiful smile curled along her smooth lips. "You should take me to visit sometime, Tashiro-san. I'm sure that we'd have a lot of fun together."

I wanted to point out our definition of the word "fun" were probably in no way the same, but I decided against it. Something about the fragile aristocrat unnerved me and made me tense up. I didn't want her to be within a thirty meter radius of the newly named Dawn Dorm, but I couldn't think of a way to say it without sounding completely heartless. So I said, "Sure—maybe one day."

And lord, I hoped that day never came.

She smiled at me in a way that had my eyes automatically tightening. "Thank you so much! I'll definitely take you up on your offer one day, Tashiro-san!"

Although she gave me an anxious feeling, I couldn't stand hearing such formality. "Ivy's fine."

Maria looked surprised for a moment before she recovered and smiled at me sweetly. "If that's the case, then please just call me Maria."

"Alright," I managed to somehow smile. My line of vision shifted from the vampire in front of me to the Pureblood that was approaching, her every move made with grace and something that made her look like a swan dancing in water. My heart gave a hard thump as she neared—I didn't want her here. I didn't want her even near me.

Yuuki stared hard at Maria for a second, a smile not on her face, before looking at me. Her lips curled upwards beautifully. "Good evening, Ivy-chan."

"Good evening," I returned, even though all I wanted to do was yell at her to get away from me.

"Yuuki-chan!" Ichijou greeted enthusiastically, his smile widening even more. "Come and join us. You too, Kaname!"

The other Kuran didn't look up from the book he was reading. "Ichijou."

The blond aristocrat let out a small huff, his lips turning into a small pout. A dejected look entered his face, and he sighed, "Fine, fine. Be that way."

Yuuki let out a small, melodic chuckle. "Please don't mind him too much, Ichijou-senpai, Ivy-chan."

"It's fine," I waved off his attitude as well as her apology. I didn't blame him for not wanting to associate himself with me more than necessary, and I wasn't surprised that he wasn't afraid to show it.

"Are you feeling alright?" The brunette asked me, a look of concern entering her eyes and also singing in her voice. Seeing her up close made her a million times more breathtaking, but I knew that the way my stomach clenched wasn't because her beauty was too astounding. No, it was because through her, I saw such cold, ruthless eyes. Green and gold eyes. Breaking hazel eyes. I saw them through her and was reminded of things I didn't want to remember.

Was I alright? No, I definitely wasn't.

Would I tell her that? Most certainly not.

I tried to clear my head and wipe out the feelings that were creating havoc inside me, settling for a, "Just fine. Why would you ask that?"

"I saw you when we were leaving the Moon Dorms," she notified me, her eyebrows still knotted together in concern. "You left so quickly, I was wondering if you were feeling unwell." Well, she was half-right. I hadn't been feeling sick due to physical reasons, however.

"Oh, that?" I laughed, waving a hand in a dismissive matter. "Please don't worry about it. It was nothing." I wasn't about to honestly tell her that her relationship with Zero made me want to strangle both of them to death, because that would certainly be trying to commit suicide. I had no doubt that all the vampires in the room, albeit carrying out their own conversations, had one ear trained on what was being said between the four of us.

She didn't look extremely convinced, but she didn't push me on it. "Really? Well then, I'm glad." Her smile was one that was blinding.

"You're really okay?" Ichijou needed to confirm, his eyes meeting mine with concern shining in them.

"Yup," I reassured him with a bright grin.

"If you're sure..." Ichijou trailed off for a moment before asking me if I read manga. Since I did, as well as Yuuki and Maria, the four of us talked about when the newest releases would be out. And even though everyone seemed to be so into it—including myself, I knew that I couldn't wholeheartedly join the conversation.

Because, after all, it took all my willpower to try and ignore the fact that it was Kuran Yuuki who was sitting next to me.

* * *

><p><strong>AN : **

That concludes the first chapter! I wonder how many of you guys picked up on the hints I was dropping here? (; -winkwinknudgenudge-

As always, I apologize now for any OOCness that may have occurred, as well as spelling and grammar mistakes!

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**Yamai-san, Youknowwhothisis, KuroNightroad, Polarbear Trancy, x3sYellowie, , L. Poxleitner, Shannyrox101, The Pocky Machine, GumiGirl123, The Last Rose to Fall, Tsukuda Sumiko, and AliceMarieSwan**

Thank you so much for reviewing, you guys! It really makes my day. (:

Also, thanks a bunch to those who have favourited and alerted! ;D

Below are going to be responses to a few specific reviewers, so if you guys want, feel free to skip this section.

To **Yamai-san;**

Please don't worry about it. HAHA. It's nice to know that you're still reading, though (: It's not a big deal if you do end up reading what I say, since it's not a private sort of message. So don't worry about it. Yes, we were talking about Shitsuren! xD I'm happy to know you're also reading that. Thank you so much (: Trust me, I'm also impatiently waiting for when Ivy and Zero start falling in love with each other. It's going to be such a long process, but I hope you'll stick with me through it! Thank you for reviewing! (:

To **Youknowwhothisis;**

It's fine~THAT'S MY FAVOURITE LINE, TOO. LOL. ;D Here's your update, m'love. Thank you for reviewing! I'd save you if I could, but I'm also dying a bit with homework. Best of luck to you! (:

To **KuroNightroad;**

I PM you, but I'll also write my response to your review here. xD I love how you think Ivy's a deep character. ;_; It makes me happy to know that not everyone thinks she's just a happy-go-lucky person. (: I love Kaien as well as Ichijou, as well! ;D Though I really can't rank my favourites in VK. xD To be really honest, I love Kenta. BUT THEN AGAIN... There are going to be more people coming in later on in the story, and I love them just as much as I love Kenta. The fact he's shy and timid is cute, eh? I hope you'll continue to support this story! Thank you, as always, for reviewing for me! ;D

To** L. Poxleitner;**

Ah, well, thank you very much for reading this long, long, long story. LOL. It makes me feel honoured that you'd take the time to do so. Thank you for your support, and I hope that it'll continue as this fanfic develops! Thanks a bunch for reviewing! ;D

To **Shannyrox101;**

You have absolutely no idea how glad I am to know that I'm keeping them in character! I'm always worried that my characters are OOC. I'm glad to know that at least SOMEONE thinks they're in character. xD I'm glad you like this story, but please don't worry. I'm not asking you to pick favourites nor am I picking a favourite myself. I definitely won't forget Shitsuren or Heterochromia, so rest assured. Thank you for being so faithful and always reviewing for me! ;D

To **The Pocky Machine;**

I FEEL SO HONOURED. I really don't know what to say except for the fact that you flatter me too much. HAHA. I don't deserve all that praise; my ego's going to get inflated. But to answer your question at the end of your first review, no, I haven't read a manga by that name before. I'm curious as to what in the story reminded you of it. I'm glad that you like Ivy and consider her different from other OCs you've read about in other fanfics. Trust me, I'm still going to keep writing despite what was said to me. Thank you for caring, though. ;D HAHA. A special school for writing? I don't think I'd even be able to qualify for it. But the fact that you think it's possible... I'm touched. Thank you so, so much for your review and I hope that you'll continue to support Heterochromia! (:

That's it for now! Even though I read all your reviews, I didn't respond to each and every one of them. BUT I REALLY DID READ ALL OF THEM. XD

It's going to be a really slow process, but I hope that you guys will continue to show your support for me and this story by alerting, favouriting, as well as reviewing!

Tell me your thoughts about the fourth chapter; you loved it, hated it, felt it was too OOC... Whatever crosses your mind. I'd love to hear what you have to say, and I don't bite!

So yeah. Please send me a review telling me your thoughts! ;D

I hope to update and bring you guys the fifth chapter soon. -grins-

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	5. Emerald and Gold Clouds

**Disclaimer : I don't own Vampire Knight. I also don't own any of the things you may or may not recognize.**

**A/N:**

Hey guys! (:

Can you all believe it's almost the end of February? 'Cause I really can't. I mean, this story was published in December, and two months have already passed? Someone tell me where the time went. OTL.

Even so, thank you guys so much for your support on this story, and I hope that you guys will continue to support Heterochromia as well as me! ;D

I hope you guys all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER FIVE;**

_"Emerald and Gold Clouds"_

* * *

><p>Wondering if what I saw was real, I gave my eyes another hard blink. The figure that was walking leisurely down the street was definitely still there, and was currently rounding the corner down an alleyway.<p>

My eyebrows furrowed together slightly, suspicion wiggling its way into my mind. Deciding that I could do my grocery shopping later, I hurriedly ran after the figure, my footsteps hardly making any sound.

Surely he wouldn't be doing something forbidden in such broad daylight, right?

Switching into a more professional mode, my body tensed up slightly in order to be ready to react to any sort of threat. My senses were heightened, sensing the presence of a vampire right at the alleyway in which he had turned into. Was it him waiting for me, or was it a completely different vampire? I hadn't been paying too much attention earlier, something that I was beginning to berate myself for.

Just as I rounded the corner of the shadowed path, my hand shot out when I heard movement from the person in front of me. As my eyes took in the identifiable features of the vampire, my hand stopped just an inch away from his throat. My fingers had been curled slightly, ready to wrap around his neck, but it was clear that he was presenting no threat. I let out a small sigh as I retreated my arm, running a hand through my hair. The adrenaline that had ran through my blood in that moment was gone just as fast as it came, something that I couldn't help but notice.

"Sorry," I apologized as I looked up into pale, indifferent baby blue eyes. "I didn't mean to be so hostile."

"Is that really how you hunt vampires?" The maroon-haired model inquired flatly as he looked at me with an apathetic face. Slight expectancy was in his tone, and he lifted a hand out of the pocket of his khakis to push down the hood he had over his head.

I brushed my bangs out of my eye, giving him an amused look. "I wasn't trying to be discreet."

"Is that so?" He ran a hand through his thick, slightly disheveled hair and scrutinized me with his protected, glass-like eyes. As I looked him over, I noticed that he was dressed in casual clothing, yet he somehow managed to look like he was prepared for one of his photoshoots. He wore a royal blue wool sweater that fitted his frame nicely, the logo of the brand embroidered on the left side of the chest. He had a white dress shirt inside, the collars of it peaking out, and there was no tie hanging from his neck. Over his relatively plain outfit, he had on a black hooded overcoat, which was buttoned from the third-last button up to the second button from the top.

He definitely needed to share his secrets with me as to how to look good even when dressed in something so simple. Sleepiness was laced along his features, making it look as if he had just woken up. The model was definitely one of those people that just seemed to look gorgeous no matter what was going on.

Pushing the thought of his attractiveness aside, I asked him curiously, "So why are you in town?"

"Why are _you_?" he countered plainly, his voice just a tad quieter than most people's.

"I was planning on going grocery shopping," I informed him truthfully. "And now it's your turn to answer me."

He apparently saw no reason to lie, as he confessed, "I'm hunting a Level E."

Upon hearing that, surprise bounced through me. I almost asked him if he was lying, but looking at him, he didn't seem to be the type to lie about something like this. There wasn't a good enough reason for him to, anyways—I would find out eventually the real reason why he was in town. I appreciated his honesty, but I didn't quite understand. The job of hunting Level E vampires belonged to the hunters. It wasn't unheard of that nobles would also go and eliminate Level Es, but it wasn't something that happened often. Many of them were grateful that we took on the job of executing violent vampires, so why was Shiki doing it himself? After all, it wasn't his job as a noble vampire. It was mine as a vampire hunter.

So why...?

"Yuuki-san asked me to," Shiki elaborated. When he saw the look on my face, he commented, "Ichijou-san was right. Your expression says everything."

"I—you—no, it doesn't," I denied pathetically, though I knew that it was partially true. Many people had said I was like an open book and that I was so easy to read, yet I found it almost funny how nobody seemed to be able to see the truth when it actually mattered.

"If you say so," he replied, not bothering with trying to convince me otherwise. Hearing the blasé tone covering his words, I couldn't help but feel my lips tilt up into a smile. Although his bluntness had been giving him ten times more brownie points than anyone else, the fact that he wasn't trying to force his opinion on me won me over completely. It wasn't a convincing reply in the least, but I was grateful that he wasn't igniting a debate over such a trivial matter.

Stuffing my hands into the pockets of my dark grey pullover hoodie, I brought our subject back on track. "Why did Yuuki ask you to do this? It's the daytime, and I can't imagine why she'd ask you to lose sleep for this when it's not a job you need to be doing. After all, she doesn't seem like the type to do that."

"Because of you," Shiki answered apathetically, blinking his wide, but slightly lidded eyes at me. It was clear that he was tired—especially since he was also a model. It was a fact that he frequently lost sleep to do his human job, so why was he still here?

His words almost choked me. I didn't understand what he was telling me or what he was implying. Feeling at an even greater loss than I had been earlier, I asked, "Wait, what?"

"Yuuki-san sent me to destroy the Level E because of you," he repeated, his head tilting slightly absentmindedly. It was an action that I was familiar with, as I had been told I did that a lot as well. It was hard to read how the modeling vampire felt or what he was thinking, since he had such a neutral expression on his face.

"Why?" I questioned carefully, my eyebrows furrowing together slightly.

Shiki gave me a long, long look. I met his blanked eyes with my own steadily, both of us probing around the other, testing each other out. I wasn't sure what he was looking for when he was scrutinizing me, but I knew that I was wondering why he had such high barriers around himself. Analyzing him, I wondered why he was the way he was—so indifferent, so aloof, so charismatic despite not trying to be. His eyes, although so dispassionate and seemingly non-judging, were unsettling and piercing.

Eventually, he seemed to resign. Breaking the quietness and the slight tension that had slept between us, he informed me, "Because she said you looked tired."

"I—" I broke my own sentence off, taken completely aback. She had asked Shiki to eliminate the Level E vampire because she felt I looked _tired_? I wasn't sure what to think, but I knew that I definitely wasn't all that pleased with this situation.

She was too kind, too caring.

Yuuki was an amazing person, and a very strange Pureblood, but that was exactly what was wrong.

A part of me just _didn't_ want to know such things.

"But you're tired as well, right?" I managed to say, stopping myself from swearing. I felt like ten bricks had just been placed onto my shoulders. "You don't need to do this. I can handle it by myself, really. I mean, I'm truly grateful for Yuuki's thoughtfulness, but I'm just fine."

"I'm already here," he pointed out to me nonchalantly, lifting his shoulders up slightly in a small shrug. "I might as well complete what I came here for."

"I can take care of it," I insisted. "You can head back to the academy and rest."

"You seem eager to get rid of me," he observed, one hand still resting in the pocket of his pants while the other hung at his side. Even though his expression didn't change from the innocently bored look, I got the vibe that he was almost _expectant _of what I'd say after his comment.

"I am," I admitted bluntly. I stared straight into his eyes as I expanded, "I don't like it when people force themselves to be with me when they don't want to be. I'm doing us both a favour if I get you to leave and head back, aren't I?"

"I'm not forcing myself to be anything," he objected smoothly, blinking his eyes at me. His words surprised me, and he seemed to notice it. "I don't see a reason to make a big deal of this. You're a vampire hunter that's a vampire. It's strange, but I don't mind it."

Although I hadn't expected him to completely loathe me like some of them already did, I also didn't think he'd be so unconcerned about it. Surely, he had _some_ sort of negative thought on who I was—_what _I was. The look plastered on my face matched my dubious tone as I said quietly, "You're lying."

"What makes you say that?" His head was still tilted, something he didn't seem to be aware of himself. His eyes were so unwavering, it made me wonder how he was still so relaxed despite knowing I had a deadly weapon that could lethally harm him.

"Because," I started, "there's no way that you don't think _something_ bad about it. I mean, whether it's the fact that I'm not an aristocrat in your Night Class, or the fact that I'm not respectful towards the Purebloods, or maybe the fact that I'm betraying you guys as a vampire—just _something_."

"Why do you sound almost as if you _want _me to hate you?" he countered expressionlessly, though his eyes seemed to look even sharper as he stared at me. I wanted to fidget under his eyes, but I figured that it would only make Shiki think I was scared of him, something that I wasn't.

The words left my lips before I could stop them, and the words didn't really register in my mind until I had already said them. "I don't." Somewhat horrified at what I said, I slapped my hands over my mouth after mumbling a curse under my breath.

"Hmm," he made a soft, contemplative noise. "Then do _you_ hate _me_?"

I stared at him in incredulity. "No! What gave you _that _impression?" What had I done to make him ask me something so completely idiotic? I couldn't see where that question came from—it just bewildered me more than I could imagine. Going through what had happened in the past few days, I really didn't know what I had done to make him think that I didn't like him.

"You look worried, but nothing you did made me think you hated me," he replied. I felt like I had just been slapped in the face. "But now, I don't see a problem. You don't hate me, and I don't have anything against you."

As the initial shock started to subside, I found myself smiling brightly at the vampire in front of me. I was glad to know that he wasn't one of those people that hated me or didn't want me near him—it made me feel like not all vampires and vampire hunters _had _to tear each other apart. It made me feel, no matter how briefly, that maybe it was possible that vampire hunters could co-exist peacefully just like how hunters did with humans, or how the vampires were trying to live with humans without drinking from them.

"I'm glad," I murmured softly, my eyes falling from his to stare at the slightly cracking cement pavement. Before I could sink into my own deeper, darker thoughts, I quickly looked up at him again. My teeth flashed. "How about we go hunt for the Level E vampire together, then? After all, maybe there's more than one."

"Alright," he agreed impassively. He pivoted on his heels, flicking me a glance over his shoulder that told me to follow him. I did as he had soundlessly instructed, our footsteps practically silent as we made our way through the narrowed and damp roads. The voices from conversations grew fainter and fainter as we continued farther away from the main streets, where people were out shopping. The alleyways in which we were moving through were eerie and quiet, something that automatically made my guard go up.

I could sense a few vampires milling around, but it was impossible to distinguish a Level E from the rest of them, which was something that was bothersome. No matter how many years you trained or how experienced you were, the fact that a vampire's presence didn't feel even the slightest bit different despite their levels was something that didn't change.

Hating the silence that was between us, I asked, "Hey, Shiki?"

His eyes flickered to meet mine for a brief moment before shifting away again. "Yes?"

"Sorry that you were asked to do this because of me," I apologized, my eyes trained on the side profile of his pale face.

"You don't have to apologize."

"Still," I half-protested. Voicing aloud what I had been thinking earlier, I said, "You must be really tired yourself from your modeling schedule."

As we rounded another corner, he pointed out flatly, "I'm not the one who looks like a raccoon."

Silence fell between us again as I struggled to find a response to what he had said. It was true that, due to my immense lack of sleep, I had developed dark black bags that hung under my eyes. In fact, it had gotten to the point where my bags seemed to surround my eyes completely, the darkness of it immensely visible against my pale skin. Even though Shiki didn't have such a look to him, it was clear that he was also very tired.

"You have shadows under your eyes, too," I pointed out to him.

"I get a lot more rest than you do, Tash—Ivy-san," he reminded me. I had a feeling that he had heard all the times I had corrected others when they had addressed me, and I was grateful that he had picked up on it. Always having to repeat myself got tiring after a while, so I was definitely happy that I didn't have to do so with Shiki.

"But not nearly as much as you're supposed to be for someone who doesn't have trouble sleeping," I retorted. As we got closer and closer to a trio of vampires clustered near an isolated place near the very, very edge of the town, the sounds of their laboured breathing and their slightly crazed voices could be heard.

Shiki and I both stopped our advance, trying to see if they had noticed us. Apparently, they hadn't, as they continued to shrill about wanting blood to one another. Despite being Level Es, they were still able to relatively understand one another.

I knew from experience that it wouldn't take them a long time to catch a whiff of my blood and start on their way here. It wasn't something that I enjoyed—having blood that was tempting to vampires. I had to admit that I didn't hate it, as it made my job much easier, but it also created many problems as well. Though, the _reason _I had much more appealing blood than others was something that I didn't want to think about.

"I'll be counting on you," I told Shiki with a smile. Sure enough, like I had predicted, the trio of vampires were heading over here at a rapid speed. Anticipation welled up inside me, a slight stirring awakening inside that was familiar. It was an emotion that was truly horrible, but it was one that I could never stop myself from feeling. Something a cross between excitement and hope—but hoping for what, and excitement for what, were completely different than what one might've originally thought.

"I'll be counting on you as well," he answered indifferently, just as the trio of Level E vampires reached us. One blocked the way we had come, the other perched on the rooftop of an old and run-down house, while the last one was crouched in front of the other exit, which was where they had come from.

All three of them were dressed in dirty clothes with numerous holes of various sizes punctured into them, filth and stains splattered all over. Their feet were caked with mud and dirt, with scratches covering them. Their hands were in similar shape, their nails long and sharp enough to look like the claws of a lion. Out of the three, two were female, and their long hair was knotted and tangled. Leaves were mixed into the strands, and I wasn't sure if they were encrusted together due to grime, rain water, or oil. On all three faces, smudges of blood decorated their dirtied skin, their eyes wide and bloodshot. Their lips were pulled over their glistening, saliva-coated teeth to show off the sharp canines that were purposely meant to break skin and tissue.

It was a sight that I had seen many, many times before, yet no matter how many times I saw it, I still couldn't help but feel pity.

After all, they had been human. They were Level Ds before sinking down to Level Es—they had families, they had friends, they had lovers. And yet all of that didn't matter to hunters anymore, now that they were in this state. But because hunters were humans with enhanced abilities, they didn't _understand_.

They didn't understand that it _did_ matter.

"Your blood, girl," one of them hissed. "I want it... Your sweet, sweet blood... It's so tempting..."

"I can imagine how it feels to sink my fangs into you," the male's voice was a low growl. "The warm blood from you will fill me..."

Shiki lifted a hand to his mouth, biting down on the pad of his index finger with his canine. It broke through the skin easily, and the moment my eyes opened once again after blinking, a long and thin whip of blood had been produced, flowing from his finger. It was a dark crimson that was no doubt the shade of real blood, and the whip seemed to be slightly hardened. It shined slightly when the lit hit it, almost as if it had been covered in a thin, transparent layer of plastic.

He didn't hesitate as he gracefully swung it at the female vampire that hadn't spoken. She dodged, and the whip slapped against the pavement, cracking it. The maroon-haired model didn't even need to move from his spot as he swiftly and elegantly handled his blood whip, the apathetic look still on his face.

"Hah! I've got you!" the blond female, who had spoken first, shrilled as she lunged towards me. I jumped out of her way, ducking down to avoid the male that leaped at me. I pushed my right sleeve up past my wrist, dodging the claws of the two Level Es as I did so. The fingertips of my left hand brushed against the cool metal of my charm bracelet, finding the single charm that hung from it easily. Without an ounce of hesitation, I ripped the charm off of the bracelet.

In a split second, the tiny charm had been released of the restrictive spell that it had been in, turning into its regular form. Over two meters long and absolutely enormous, I held my familiar anti-vampire weapon, Rixelvelt, in my hands. The giant scythe was white along the shaft and along the blunt edge of the blade. The sharp edge, however, was bathed in an onyx. The main curve of the blade was vast and wide, and a smaller blade styled the same way was a couple of centimeters below it. The top of the blade extended past the shaft, creating a point before curving back down to meet the rod. A large, circular hole was on both blades near the end, with two smaller hollows on either side of it. Four massive translucent, glass-like daisy petals spread out along the back of it, where the blade had extended past the pole. They stuck together slightly from the bottom and middle, spreading out slightly afterward. Despite being almost transparent, they were lined with silver.

The sound of metal clashing against metal sounded through the air as the male's claws made contact with the shaft of Rixelvelt. We were both vampires, and even though he was blood-crazy, that didn't mean he didn't know how to use his brute strength. My scythe and my arms shook slightly under the immense pressure he put on them, and I scowled as I aimed a kick at his stomach. He skidded back a meter, hissing at me. His drool splattered onto the floor, the bloodlust in his eyes evident.

Thinking that I had forgotten about her, the woman dived at me with her hands curled, ready to clutch onto me. She had been so fast that when I sidestepped her, she momentarily lost her equilibrium. My lips pressed into a thin, tight line as I swung Rixelvelt down promptly and decapitated her. She didn't have enough time to scream as she broke into dust at a pile near my feet, but a female's shrill resounded through us. Whipping my head to look at Shiki, he had his blood whip wrapped around the other female's neck and had slammed her against the wall. She was wailing and shrieking, but Shiki's expression didn't even twitch.

"I want your blood, so _give it to me_!" the male roared, losing his temper. His claws met my metal scythe again and again, even after the shouts of the female subsided. Shiki was finished with the Level E, but he was leaving me to handle this one. I knew that he was watching, waiting to see if he needed to intervene, and for that I was both grateful and exasperated.

At a particularly rough push, the Level E and I both skidded backwards along the pavement. Seeing him about to come right at me once more, I readied myself to defend and then counter. Only, a very familiar resonation hit me, and this time it only took a second for it to take effect. Pain slammed into my chest, the warning having been so abrupt and short that I couldn't have prepared myself for it. The wind was knocked out of me, and I fell to my knees coughing violently.

Why did it have to be now?

My body shook as I coughed, the burning sensation in my chest growing and swelling. My grip tightened on my weapon, but I knew that I wouldn't stand a chance against the Level E at this point. The smell of my blood filled the air as a few small drops of liquid crimson splattered onto the pavement with another rough cough, prompting the Level E to come at me even faster. The crazed look in his eyes was more prominent, his drool increasing. He let out a shrill, evil laugh as he got closer and closer.

Prepared to feel some sort of painful sensation, whether it be from his claws ripping into my skin or his fangs sinking into me, I was surprised when something red wrapped around the Level E's neck when he was a foot away. My eyes darted over to where Shiki stood casually with one hand in his pocket, and sure enough, the blood whip that extended from his index finger was stopping the savage vampire from eating me. Even though he had commented on the smell of my blood when we had first met, he didn't seem to be the least bit affected by it at all. There was no hint of red underneath his pale cerulean eyes.

I let out another cough, and the Level E made a strangled noise, thrashing violently in an attempt to get me. I shifted away, the pain not intense enough to prevent such a small and mild movement. I watched as Shiki pulled on the whip, forcing the male Level E to slide back along with it. When he was halfway in between both Shiki and I, the aristocrat seemed to force his whip to curl harder around the previous human's neck. In another second, the whip had cut through. There wasn't even enough time for the head to fall to the ground before everything turned to dust.

With the threats gone, Shiki's whip retreated back smoothly into his finger. There was no hole or puncture where he had pierced his skin, something I noticed as he came closer. There was no change in his expression as he neared me, despite seeing my body wrack with coughs. Before he could reach where I had crumpled onto the floor, the brief echoing feeling flared inside me for less than a second, taking all the pain away with it as it disappeared.

"I'm so sorry," I managed to say through my gasps for air.

Shaking his head slightly, Shiki crouched down in front of me. I flinched away from him, expecting to see something like hatred or malice, but his next words had my eyes snapping up to meet his. "Are you alright?"

Staring into his light sapphire orbs, I couldn't spot an ounce of anger. There was nothing in them that suggested he was disgusted or disappointed. Of course, there were no positive emotions glinting in them either, but I was stunned when I didn't see any of the other emotions. Nonetheless, even if he didn't feel anything regarding the subject, I felt both ashamed and humiliated. It was so pathetic. I hadn't wanted anyone to witness my attacks. My wish of not having anyone see me in such a state was obviously destroyed now that the model had witnessed it firsthand.

"I—I'm fine now." I wiped away the small bit of blood along the edge of my lips with the pad of my thumb, taking a look at the dark liquid before licking it away. You couldn't feed off of yourself, but I didn't know how else to dispose of it.

"No wonder why," Shiki murmured softly, almost to himself. A thoughtful aura seemed to discharge from his neutral facial expression, his eyes resting on my face.

Slightly perturbed at being stared at by such a handsome male, I dropped my eyes from his face. "No wonder why what?"

"On your first day," Shiki explained monotonously. "The reason that the scent of so much blood filled the air... this was why, right?"

My silence was his answer.

"It looks painful," he commented quietly, his voice still blank. There was no sympathy in his eyes nor any pity, something that I wasn't sure whether to be grateful for or something to despise. Looking at him, and thinking back on how he had saved me, I couldn't bring myself to think that it was because he was heartless. His emotions must've been stowed away, carefully suppressed, right? Surely, there was no way he was as detached as he made himself seem.

When I spoke, my voice was a breath. "It is."

He had no idea just how much.

The noble's eyes flickered to the side, where Rixelvelt was levitated slightly above the ground due to my grip on it. His head tilted a bit as he stared it. "A scythe. Like Yuuki-san's."

I had heard that the Kuran Pureblood was able to handle anti-vampire weapons, and that she had one named Artemis. According to what Kaien told me, it had originally been a rod that transformed into a scythe when she was awakened. Despite both being scythes, I had seen a picture of hers, and they looked nothing alike. The only thing that was similar about them was their gigantic sizes.

Glancing at my weapon, I felt some sort of affection run through me. Growing up as a hunter, your weapon was presented to you the moment you could handle it properly. You _grew up_ with your weapon. Hardly any hunters could view their anti-vampire weapons as mere _weapons_ anymore—our attachments to them were so strong. They became part of us, living inside us, engraved into us. They became our friend, a part of our souls that we couldn't live without.

Looking at Rixelvelt, my eyes took in the curved arcs of white metal that extended from the last petal-like structure until it met the main body of the scythe. There were three arcs, the first one smallest before growing larger. The largest arc ended just a few centimeters above the extended edge of the second blade. Small black arrow-like objects were attached to the white arcs, the first holding two, the second holding three, and the third requiring four. Roughly around fifty centimeters above the sharp and pointed end of the scythe, a thin portion of the metal split into two sections and created a double helix around the last part of the shaft. While one section was silver, the other was black, and they spiraled down until the end, where they started to detangle themselves from one another before ending in sharp points.

"Yeah," I agreed softly, not knowing what else to say.

"Perhaps vampires that can handle anti-vampire weapons aren't as rare as we originally thought," Shiki mused aloud, his eyes flickering over to the tight grip I had on Rixelvelt.

Shaking my head, I didn't look into his eyes as I said quietly, "I'm not like Zero or Yuuki. Anti-vampire weapons hurt me. When I first tried to pick up Rixelvelt after my change, I couldn't. She rejected me, and she continued to. The pain got less sharp each time, but it never went away. That's why this is here." I brushed my fingers along the writing that was engraved along the main blade, as well as the shaft. The writing, after being imprinted into the metal, had then been filled with silver so that it was more visible.

Shiki blinked at what was written. "The language of ancient hunters."

Nodding my head, I confirmed, "It's one of their spells. It allows me to hold onto her without feeling pain. Without it, my hands would be burned and charred if I held onto her for a long time."

"I see," he spoke.

Stillness embraced both of us once more as he stared at me, but didn't really see me. It was clear that he was off in his own world, something that I was somewhat relieved at. I didn't want to have him fixedly staring at me.

Moving Rixelvelt into my left hand, I brought the tip of the main blade to my charm bracelet. Letting the tip of the blade hook slightly through one of the hollowed areas from the interlocking ovals, Rixelvelt glowed slightly before being suppressed again by another special spell that had been created to help make carrying anti-vampire weapons around more convenient.

Seeming to realize that we had spent enough time around here doing nothing, Shiki straightened himself out of his crouch. Not a single hair was out of place despite his battle with the Level E, something that didn't even surprise me in the least. He held out a smooth, pale hand and stared down at me with his head slightly cocked to the side. He wasn't forcing me to accept his hand, but he wasn't conveying he secretly hoped I wouldn't take it, either. He left it so open—he let me _choose_.

And despite the whole ordeal that had just happened, and through the whirlwind of emotions I felt, I found myself smiling as I hesitantly reached out and clasped his hand with mine.

With one swift motion, Shiki hauled me up to my feet easily. Our hands, which had gripped one another's, were separated as I brushed off all the dirt that had gotten onto my clothes after falling to the floor. He didn't say anything, but simply watched me silently as I did so. When I was satisfied, I glanced up at him and smiled.

"Do you have time to spare to go grocery shopping with me?" I asked, a bright and somewhat hopeful tone weaving into my voice as I looked up at him.

For a moment, he stared at me without saying anything. The feeling of dread had just began to crawl up on me when, after blinking his eyes, he agreed. "Okay."

My smile was wide as I grabbed onto his wrist, dragging him with me as we hurried back to where we had come. And as he followed me without saying a word of complaint, my heart had to hold back the urge to cry.

* * *

><p>I sucked in a deep breath and let the air rush out, angling it in an upwards direction. The bangs that had fallen uncomfortably into my eye moved at the strong, concentrated breath and repositioned themselves into more comfortable locations.<p>

Taking a look at the two different strawberry moose cakes that I had made, I grabbed a knife and cut both of them into equivalent sizes, making sure to cut the regular one before cutting the other—much smaller—one. I took out a small plate and a fork from the utensil drawer, carefully sliding a piece out of the larger circular dessert. Placing the slice on the plate, I placed the knife down and took a piece out of the slice, trying it. Just as a satisfied smile came on my face as I swallowed the sweet dessert, the door that led to our dorm building swung open, and two familiar scents filled the house once more.

"Welcome home, Kaito, Zero!" I exclaimed from the kitchen, knowing that they could hear me. Wondering where the aluminum foil was, I opened up a few cabinets and a few drawers, eventually finding it just as the two men entered the kitchen.

"Cake?" Kaito sounded somewhat confused.

"It's tonight's dessert," I told him as I pulled out a small portion of the luster foil. Carefully, I ripped it so that it was a square, and taking a pair of scissors out from another drawer, I cut it into a triangle that matched the shape of the cake pieces, only larger.

"That's fine and all," Kaito started, "but why are there _two_?"

Pivoting on my heel, I moved to where the cakes were placed on the counter. Carefully picking one of the regular slices up, I placed it carefully on the foil before folding it to fit the section better. As I reached towards the opened chocolate Pocky package, I answered, "Well, one's for us, and the other is for Zero."

When I looked at Kaito, one of his eyebrows was raised. "And _why _exactly does Zero get a separate cake from everyone else?"

I pushed the much smaller, darker red cake at him and raised my eyebrows. Smiling, I suggested, "You can try it and find out."

"As if," he retorted. Picking up the fork that I had placed along the rim of the plate that held the slice I had been eating, Kaito stabbed it into the piece of cake, placing the forkful into his mouth. He chewed it and swallowed, a slightly surprised look crawling onto his face. "You _made_ this?"

My grin was bright. "Satoshi is an amazing teacher."

"Not bad," Kaito muttered as he took another forkful into his mouth.

"How was your day, Zero?" I inquired curiously as I got out another small plate and another fork. I cautiously placed one of the pieces from the cake I had specifically made for Zero out and onto the plate, pushing it towards him.

He stared at the slice for a moment before he lifted his eyes to meet mine. An assessing look was on his face, as if he was wondering whether or not to answer. Eventually, he settled for a, "Why do you want to know?"

An amused smile was on my face. "I'm just curious. Try some of the cake I made."

"I don't like sweet things," he repeated from yesterday.

"I can't take that answer," I told him. "I really think that you should try it."

Kaito let out a sigh and reprimanded, "If he doesn't want to try it, just drop it, Ivy."

"I can't," I repeated, shooting Kaito a frown. My eyes told him not to butt into my conversation with the silver-haired hunter, and his chocolate orbs narrowed slightly in response. Suspicion entered his look as his eyes met mine.

"I'm not eating any," Zero informed me, the slight scowl that was always present on his face deepening a tad.

Shaking my head, I insisted, "I swear, I didn't poison it or anything. Just try it, Zero. Please? I spent a lot of time making it for you, and I want you to at least take a bite."

"Ivy—"

Cutting Kaito off, I placed my hands together in front of my face and looked up at him hopefully. "Please, Zero?"

In the brief moment that he stared at me, I was almost absolutely sure that he had given in and agreed to it. However, those thoughts of him resigning to me were completely crushed when he opened his mouth. "No."

Frowning at him slightly, I inquired, "Why not?"

"Why are you so desperate for me to try it?" he threw back at me, his smooth voice laced with a tone that was almost challenging. His straight strands of silver fell into his light lavender eyes, something that I felt made him look even more desolated than he already was.

"Just because." It wasn't a real answer, but I knew that if I told him the real reason, there was no way that he would just accept it. Not to mention I certainly wouldn't be telling him about it with Kaito right there.

I had no doubt that the milk chocolate-haired student teacher would disapprove. I didn't want to hear from him a lecture regarding how stupid I was.

"What a convincing reason." Zero's expression didn't even twitch. No heavy sarcasm tainted his tone, but rather, it was blank of all emotions. And _that_ was the reason it sounded sarcastic.

"I don't know what you're planning, Ivy," Kaito started, his voice sighing and somewhat exasperated, "but just try the stupid cake, Zero. Like all Tashiros, she's ridiculously stubborn, and she'll bother you about it until you do what she wants you to. Do us all a favour and just try the cake—I think that if I hear her continuing to pester you about it, I'll get a headache. She probably didn't do anything to it."

I gave him a look when I caught the "probably" that was placed at the end of his sentence. What, did he really think that I would poison Zero's cake?

"Kaito—" Zero's objection was cut short by the older hunter.

"Spare us and just give it a try, Zero," Kaito interrupted, folding his arms across his chest.

There was a short moment in time in which the two males stared at one another, almost as if they were sizing one another up. Their frames were built alike, their height almost exactly the same. I couldn't understand their wordless conversation as well as I would have liked, but I got the general gist of it all.

After a minute, Kaito's eyes shifted away. I thought that he had lost against Zero, but I was proved wrong when Zero picked up the unused fork with a pale, slender hand. I watched in slight anticipation as he warily took a small forkful and brought it up to his mouth. He hesitated for another second, eyeing it suspiciously. His eyes darted to meet mine, and I smiled at him encouragingly.

Opening his mouth slightly, he placed it in his mouth and chewed. The moment the cake met his tongue, his eyes widened the smallest fraction, and met mine in an almost disbelieving manner. His entire body tensed up, his movements freezing. I knew that he already figured out why the cake was made especially for him, and just him. His lips pulled down into an even deeper scowl when he recovered, and I dropped my gaze from his penetrating lilac orbs.

"You—"

Cutting him off, I commented, "Well, I should be getting dressed for my class tonight. Thanks for trying it, Zero, and I hope that you'll finish the cake I made for you. I also hope that you'll be looking forward to dessert every night now." I was already out the kitchen by the time I finished my sentence, not wanting to see his angry reaction at what I had mixed into the cake.

"Hey, Tashiro!"

I ignored his call, continuing my way to up the staircase. He didn't follow me, but I really hadn't expected him to—after all, he looked like just speaking took him a lot of effort at that moment.

Entering my room, I began to change out of the off-shoulder long-sleeved shirt I had been wearing, taking my uniform off the rack it hung on. Pausing before I slipped on the black dress shirt and white blazer that signified I belonged to the Night Class, I glanced at the cut that my fangs had created along the inside of my left forearm.

It was still red and clearly fresh, but it was already beginning to heal. Thankfully, due to my regenerative abilities as a vampire, I had no doubt that by tomorrow, the cut would nearly be entirely gone.

Nobody really had to know.

* * *

><p><strong>AN : **

And that concludes the fifth chapter of Heterochromia! (:

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I think it's 'cause I was so happy to write about Shiki and Ivy together. HAHA. All of you who know me from Shitsuren know just how much I love writing about him. ;D It was really fun writing this chapter, so I hope that you guys enjoyed! -grins-

I apologize right now for any OOCness, grammar and spelling mistakes, and the like.

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**Smirk 'N' Sweat Drop, Random VK Fan, Yamai-san, The Pocky Machine, KuroNightroad, and Youknowwhothisis**

You guys are amazing for reviewing for me, and thank you so much! You guys have no idea how much I appreciate it. (:

Thanks to those who alerted and favourited as well!

To **Smirk 'N' Sweat Drop**;

Well, I'm glad that you think that this story is good! HAHA. I recognize you from Shitsuren, and you have no idea how happy I am to know that you're also going to be supporting this story! Thank you so much for your support! I'm really glad that you think this story is good, by the way. -grins- Rather than thank me for writing, I should be thanking you for reading and reviewing, so thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you here as well! (:

To** Random VK Fan**;

Aww, thank you so much! I'm not really sure if this is considered "quick" but here is the update you wanted! And to answer your question, no, I don't live in Singapore. HAHA. The reason I write Zero's last name as "Kiriyuu" is because when I first started VK anime and manga, that's how it was subbed and translated, so I got really used to it. I'm the kind of person who sticks to the first version I see or hear. It's like... If you made me listen to a song in Korean, and then listened to the exact same song except in Japanese, I'd prefer the Korean version. Yet, if you had given me the Japanese version before the Korean, I would've thought that the Japanese version sounded better. Do you get what I mean? HAHA. I'm really strange. Thank you so much for reviewing for me, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I also hope to hear from you again! ;D

To **Yamai-san**;

I'm glad you like Kenta! I love Kenta as well; I know that I'll have so much fun writing about him in later chapters. -grins- Thank god none of them were too OOC- it always worries me. And what do you mean, how do I manage them? HAHA. If you mean how I manage to keep them in character, I can't really even answer you. I always kill myself a bit whenever I write because I fret so much about keeping them in character. =P I'm so, _so_glad that you love Ivy! It makes me happy that you do. ;D I hope that you liked this chapter, and thank you so much for reviewing! (:

To **The Pocky Machine**;

Ahh. LOL. Well, I'm pretty sure that every name that my OCs have had already been used somewhere before. OTL. But I must admit, the Satoshi manga that you were reading sounds pretty disturbing. x.x" I think that I've read or watched Chibi Vampire, but I don't really remember. -SHOT- I'm so glad that you liked the fourth chapter, and I hope you enjoyed this one, as well! (: Thank you so much for reviewing, and I'll be looking forward to reading your review this time as well! (If you decide to review, I mean. HAHA. xD)

To **KuroNightroad**;

LOL. I'm glad that it made you laugh! I was smiling when I wrote that part. (: HAHA. To be honest, I really don't know where you got that from. Maybe it said something that they need to know how to cook, but Ivy's a different case! -grins- Hmm... I don't want to spoil anything, so you'll have to keep reading to find out what's going on with that! It might mean more than you think, but at the same time, it really could mean nothing at all. xD Ivy dislikes Maria simply because she gives Ivy a bad vibe. xD The relationship between Ivy and Yuuki... Well, it's pretty complicated, I guess, so keep reading to see if your theories are true! (: I believe I answered the name thing in a PM, so yeah. HAHA. Thank you so much for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm looking forward to hearing from you again!

To **Youknowwhothisis**;

YESSSS. Family love. -heart- I love it. HAHA. It's always so awesome to see, read about, and write about. Ah, gosh. (: Well, I consider Ivy a pretty complex character, but maybe that's just me. LOL. I kinda HOPED that people viewed her as a complicated person, 'cause that's what I was aiming for. I'm glad I got that through to you (; Hints are what makes you want to keep reading, right? ;D I updated, so here you go! Thank you so much for reviewing for me and supporting me all the time! I hope you liked this chapter! (:

Okay, and that's the end of my replies to reviewers. HAHA.

I don't bite, so please drop me a review, you guys! I'd really appreciate it! Since I get quite a few alerts, I want you hear your thoughts on the chapter as well! It doesn't need to be a thousand words long; just something with your thoughts is fine. Tell me whether you liked the chapter, loved it, hated it, and anything else. -grins-

So, yup, guys. Please review for me if you think I deserve it! (:

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	6. Before, it was You

**Disclaimer : No, I don't own Vampire Knight. And I also don't own Pocky. Sadly.**

**A/N :**

Yo, guys, what's uppppp? (:

I'm actually on a break from school right now, so I hope to be writing like crazy! I've actually been doing that lately... which is the reason why I got the sixth chapter done. HAHA.

I feel like a lot of you guys were confused with what happened in the last chapter regarding what was up with the cake Ivy baked for Zero. Maybe it's because I'm the one writing this and I know exactly what goes on and why it happens, so I felt like everything was so clear. But, to all of those of you who guessed wrong or are confused, I hope this chapter clears it up for you! If it doesn't, then please tell me and I'll clear it up. Although, really, I don't think that will be necessary after reading this chapter.

So, yeah. ;O Read on, you guys! It'll help clear the confusion. I hope. HAHA.

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER SIX;**

_"Before, it was You"_

* * *

><p>Just as I was finishing up placing Shiki's slice of cake into a small square box, a familiar scent filled the air when I breathed in, his presence unmistakable. Not looking up as I closed the lid of the plain white box, I greeted, "Hey, Zero."<p>

Despite having fled from hearing his opinion on the cake matter earlier, I knew that there was no way I would be able to avoid the future President forever. It was just that... in the time that we were separated from one another and I actually had time alone, I was given time to compose myself and think it through.

Though, looking up to meet his glowering amethyst eyes, everything that I had repeated over and over in my mind earlier got completely erased. He looked more than just a little bit livid.

He cut straight to the chase, not even acknowledging my greeting. His velvet voice was dark as he demanded quietly, "Why did you do that?"

I had a feeling that messing around would lead to something that I would undoubtedly regret, so I didn't bother trying to pretend I didn't know what he was talking about. However, I still didn't meet his eyes as I began to clear away the mess I had made when preparing Shiki's portion. I was planning to give it to him during break as a thank you for saving me, and for helping me with my grocery shopping. I only hoped that he actually liked it, since I wasn't sure if he was a fan of sweet food despite his love for Pocky.

"You need it," I replied honestly. Making my way to the sink, I noticed how the knife, forks, and plates that I had been using and hadn't washed earlier were now gone. I smiled slightly, not knowing who specifically cleaned up, but still happy that someone did.

"Don't butt your head into my business," Zero retorted, the scowl evident and echoing in his voice.

"I can't just _leave_ you like that," I protested as I whirled around to face him. I leaned against the sink counter, my right hand clutching at my left elbow. My gold and green eyes met his light violet ones in a near-defiant manner. "Don't even _try_ lying to yourself, Zero. You're blood deprived. You need some of it in your system, and the blood tablets aren't satisfying your thirst."

He spoke through slightly gritted teeth. "I don't need it."

"If you don't, then why do you look like you're in less pain now compared to before?" My voice was soft and held a challenging tone to it. "Your skin looks less translucent and you look like you're struggling less to hold your thirst back." This time, a strong edge was wrapped in my tone. "You need it, Zero."

The downward tilt of his lips increased, and his eyes intensified in what seemed like anger. Yet, somehow, he looked so upset. A note of distress was in his eyes, along with a look of disgust and hate. Yet, there was also a burning desire in them that he tried so hard to deny. "You speak as if you know me like the back of your hand, but you don't."

"Of course I don't," I agreed quietly, staring unflinchingly into his eyes. "But that doesn't mean I don't understand _some _of you, and I know when a vampire needs blood. If you don't get even the slightest of it in your system, you're going to snap. It'll become even more painful for you."

"You're doing it again," he pointed out to me in a slightly bitter voice. "Assuming things about me."

"But am I wrong?" I retorted, not giving him a chance to try and answer the rhetorical question. "It's clear that you're in a desperate need of blood, Zero, and that you have no way of obtaining it. Your previous source of blood had been Yuuki, right? The fact that she's back and so close to you must have your throat burning. And the thing that kills you the most is that you know that you can't ask her to help you now, because it's different. Everything's changed. Just because of this, are you really going to deprive yourself of something that your body needs to survive? Are you going to pass up on this escape I'm giving you simply because it's my blood and not hers?"

His body had grown tense at my words, his eyes hardening into cold stone. The moment her name had been mentioned, I had seen the way his eyes cracked slightly, the way a certain anguish fluttered delicately over his sculpted features before he forced it away. His lips tightened into a thin line, and the cloud of despair that hung over him was so thick, it almost made it harder to breathe.

"Don't bring her into this." His voice was quiet, and it was softer than usual. The underlying tone of affection in his voice was heard loud and clear in my ears, but perhaps that was because I was already aware of his feelings towards the Pureblood. There was a sharp border that danced along his voice as well, something that I didn't disregard.

Letting my eyes shift away from him and towards the cake I had baked specifically for him, I murmured, "I wouldn't have to if you just accepted it."

There was a moment of silence between both of us as we were absorbed into our own thoughts. His stare burned into my skin, so intense and so hauntingly beautiful, but I kept my eyes trained on the dessert that sat on top of the kitchen island.

Waiting for his response had me feeling anxious, knots appearing inside my stomach. Just like him, my body was stiffened at the seriousness of the conversation that had taken place between the two of us. I didn't know Zero well enough to be able to predict what choice he would make, but I could only hope that he wasn't stupid and stubborn enough to ignore what I had told him.

After all, it was the truth. The lack of real blood had been taking its toll on him, and it had been showing. Undoubtedly, many of the others had noticed it as well, though it was obvious that none of the vampires would be willing to let him feed off them. Yuuki had probably tried to do so secretly, but I had no doubt that Kaname had been there to intervene. Or perhaps it was her own voice of reason that had prevented her from meeting him. Kaito and Yagari surely wouldn't blatantly declare it would be alright for Zero to take their blood, and although I knew that Kaien had offered, there was absolutely no chance of the silver-haired hunter turning to the headmaster for it—no matter how many times Kaien willingly presented it to him.

And so the only thing left was to give it to him without him realizing what he was taking into his system until it was too late.

Now that he had gotten a taste of authentic blood after such a long time, it was up to him to decide whether or not he wanted it, or if he was going to turn away from it and continue to suffer all alone, almost giving into his temptations at any moment. His thirst could get so painful that, at some point, he'd snap and harm a Day Class student without meaning to.

Clearly, Zero wasn't stupid enough to reject my advances, was he?

Breaking me out of my train of thought, Zero's guarded voice ruined the stillness. "Why?"

Genuinely perplexed at his question, my eyebrows pulled together slightly as my eyes darted up to lock with his. "Why what?"

"Why are you doing this?" he clarified. His eyebrows, like mine, were furrowed together, but they knotted together in a deeper, darker way.

"Can you give me a reason not to?" My smile was soft as my eyes scanned over his physical characteristics. "Zero, we're so similar, but we're so different. To you, we might be something just a bit above strangers, but to me, you're a friend and a comrade. Besides, even if you weren't those things... Seeing you try so hard to not harm anyone and to deny what you are... it's something inspiring, and something that I can't ignore. Even if you say no to eating it, I'd still make your portion of dessert specially just in case you ever want or need it. I want to help you, Zero, but I can only do that if you let me."

He didn't blink. "You're an idiot."

A small laugh escaped me. "I've heard that so many times before."

Zero studied me for another long moment before he let out a sigh. He shut his eyes, one of his hands reaching up to rest on the back of his neck. The air of resignation that surrounded him was impossible to get wrong, and I felt my smile widening when I realized that he had probably recognized he had lost this certain argument.

When I had said that I'd make his dessert every night even if he didn't eat it wasn't a bluff either, and I wondered if he had seen that.

"... Do what you want," he eventually muttered, turning his back to me as he prepared to walk away, dropping the subject.

"Thank you, Zero." My voice was only a bit above a whisper, but I knew he heard it clearly. "I'm glad." I smiled with some sort of tenderness at his back even though he couldn't see it—a fact that I was actually thankful for. After all, I didn't want any questions on why I looked at him in such a way. It would only bring more misunderstandings, more confusion, and both pleasant as well as _un_pleasant memories.

He remained where he rigidly stood for another moment, as if he was contemplating whether or not to stay, but then his body relaxed itself and he continued on his way out of the kitchen to do whatever he needed to do.

I stared at his broad back as he left, a soft sigh escaping from me as I gripped my elbow tighter.

Was it supposed to be this way?

* * *

><p>When break came around, I reached for the box that I had placed Shiki's dessert in and stood up from my seat, glancing around for the apathetic model. I spotted him in the middle of the room, where he sat with Rima. They sat close to one another, but they didn't speak. Their relationship was so strange, and for some reason, it was nearly captivating the way they didn't seem to speak with one another, yet somehow managed to share such a deep bond.<p>

Ichijou watched me curiously. "Ivy-chan?"

"Sorry, Ichijou," I grinned down at him slightly as I slid out of my seat. "I'll be back really quickly." With the box in my hands, I made my way over to where the two seemingly quiet and indifferent vampires were seated. Their eyes darted over to watch me as I approached, and I hoped that Shiki hadn't expected to keep our forming friendship a secret from the other nobles of the class.

And I hoped that he wouldn't be getting into any trouble because of it.

At the thought of Shiki being bullied or harassed by other members of the Night Class, I felt something wrench in my stomach, and I was just about to chicken out. I was prepared to whirl around on my heels and head straight back to Ichijou, knowing I'd look like an idiot if I did so, but it really wouldn't be as bad as Shiki getting harassed because of my thoughtless actions.

Before I could actually swivel around again and head back, Shiki's smooth voice stopped me from doing so. "Good evening, Ivy-san."

Startled, I jumped slightly at his sudden greeting. My eyes instantly went up to meet his, and he stared back at me with unreadable eyes. He shifted his body slightly to face me, his chin propped up onto the smooth skin of his palm.

Why did I feel like a deer caught in headlights?

"Good evening," I managed to get out. Nervousness pranced in my system, and I internally scolded myself for it. I was acting like a complete and utter wimp, and I knew it. Mustering up all the courage I could re-gather, I closed the short distance between the two of us and stood in front of him, the wooden desk being the thing that separated us. I placed the box on the table and slid it towards him, wanting to say something but not being able to.

"For me?" He blinked, and when I nodded my head, he inquired, "Why?"

"For helping me earlier today," I replied with a smile.

Shiki's slender fingers began to open up the box, and I felt an increasingly memorable presence advance towards us, stopping just beside me. When the lid was opened up, three pairs of eyes peered at what was inside.

"It's cake!" Ichijou exclaimed enthusiastically, sounding both delighted and awed. He turned to look at me, his emerald eyes sparkling. "Did you bake this yourself?"

"Yeah," I nodded my head with a slight smile. "I hope that it isn't too bad."

Rima's lips parted as she let out a somewhat surprised noise. "Ah—there's some Pocky." With a delicate hand, she reached over and peeled off a small piece of chocolate Pocky that I had placed at one corner of the isosceles slice of cake. Popping it into her mouth, she chewed it in an unfazed manner despite the way Shiki's eyes slid over to her.

"Thank you," Shiki said as he tore his eyes off the small treat. "Is this what you had been shopping for?"

I let out a small laugh as I confirmed, "Yeah."

"Isn't that great, Shiki?" Ichijou asked cheerfully. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder casually, something that had my heart thumping extra loudly for a second before resuming its usual pace. I looked up at the olive-eyed blond, surprised at his open affection. It was a possibility that he was only _acting_ so kind, but I didn't want to believe it. "You get to eat Ivy-chan's self-baked cake!"

"It looks good," Rima commented, her voice and expression blasé. She took another piece of Pocky from the surface of the cake.

"Rima," Shiki flatly objected, his eyes meeting her slightly darker ones.

"Don't hog it all." Her singing, colourless voice was tainted slightly with a reprimanding and somewhat rebellious tone. "At least share a bit with us."

"You're so lucky," Ichijou told Shiki with a sigh. "I want to eat some homemade sweets, too."

My eyes darted up to look at the tall male next to me. "I can always make more and bring them to class."

Ichijou's wide eyes lit up, and his mouth fell open slightly. When he regained his composure, his lips spread out into a wide grin that showed off his straight, snow-white teeth. A soft glow seemed to surround him as he asked hopefully, "Really?"

"If that's what you want." I smiled at him in an amused manner. Ichijou was almost like a child—the brilliant innocence and pure aura that he emitted seemed so warm.

"That would make my day," Ichijou replied honestly. "But I don't want to cause too much trouble for you, Ivy-chan."

Shaking my head, I said, "It wouldn't be trouble at all. Besides, I need to make dessert every night anyways. I love baking."

"Are you sure?" Ichijou looked somewhat unconvinced and worried.

"I want some of your dessert too, Ivy!" Maria's sweetly delicate voice exclaimed as she pranced up to where we were. She stopped when she was on my other side, her hands clasped together behind her back with an amazing smile adorning her face.

Although I still didn't in particularly like Maria, I couldn't deny her request in front of everyone without drawing some sort of suspicion. It didn't really matter anyways, as I would be making more than enough to give her some.

Meeting her purple-grey eyes, I tried to smile as naturally as I could. "Sure." Turning to glance at the dark golden-haired model that sat next to Shiki, I inquired, "How about you, Rima?"

The model with her straight hair in pigtails regarded me in a way that made me somewhat nervous. Her cerulean orbs glided over to Shiki, who met her gaze. I couldn't understand what was being silently said, but what went on between the two of them seemed to be enough for her to turn back to me and agree.

"If you have time," she answered. I could definitely see how she was a model—her skin was a fragile shade of ivory, her features looking like they were sculpted from porcelain. The silky, straight strands of dark blond looked like they were fine threads of dark, pure gold. An air of refinement surrounded her, and her glittering dark, ocean-like eyes were fascinating. Something about her looked so delicate, but there was also something so strong and defiant about her that made her all the more charismatic.

"I will," I notified her with a laugh. I had a lot of time on my hands, and I definitely didn't mind spending it baking. I was sure that if I saw Satoshi again and he realized I had gotten rusty with the recipes he had taught me, he'd be disappointed.

"What are you going to make?" Ichijou inquired curiously.

Looking around at the four vampires that surrounded me, I smiled at them. "What do you guys like?"

"Pocky," Shiki and Rima both chimed together, their eyes flickering to meet one another's before darting away just as quickly.

Ichijou and I laughed at their response, while Maria giggled harmoniously. The two models were so alike—I wondered if that was the reason they seemed to connect together so well. Their chemistry was so obvious, I felt like it was almost visible to the eye.

"I'm fine with anything," Ichijou accommodated with a smile.

"Me too," Maria added, her soft strands of pale hair brushing along her shoulders as she hopped up onto the edge of Shiki and Rima's desk, sitting daintily on it with one leg folded over the other. The two indifferent companions made no comments about the action and they didn't acknowledge it, but it was clear that it didn't slip their minds.

"Mm," I made a thoughtful sound, wondering what I should make that everyone would like. I still wasn't familiar with the vampires, but I knew Kaito and Yagari well enough. Zero, too, was someone whose tastes I wasn't quite sure of. It would be difficult to make something that everyone would enjoy, but I hoped that it'd all work out in the end somehow.

"Ah, but what's this about Shiki helping you today?" Ichijou questioned, his voice laced with confusion as his eyes darted between Shiki and I.

As Shiki responded, I couldn't help but feel pairs of eyes on us. I noticed that they didn't belong only to the aristocrats like Aidou and Ruka, but also the Purebloods.

And no matter how much I didn't want to meet her eyes, I still found myself looking up.

Even though I knew that looking at her just reminded me of _them_.

* * *

><p>"That's—that's too funny," I gasped, my stomach hurting from all the laughing I'd been doing the past few minutes. It had gotten so bad that I couldn't even sit upright anymore, and had fallen onto the soft, slightly damp grass, clutching onto my stomach.<p>

Kenta's laughing, amused voice murmured, "It's amazing how you seem to enjoy Takamiya-sensei's bad fortune so wholeheartedly."

Unable to speak, I continued laughing for another few moments before I began to calm down. Uncurling myself from the position I had been in due to the pain I had experienced from laughing, I inhaled deeply. "It's just—I can't believe it. I can imagine the look on his face and it's so hilarious."

"Is it really that funny, Ivy-san?" Kenta asked, his tone innocent. His clear storm-cloud eyes met mine as I turned my head to face him. Compared to the first conversation I had with him, the nervousness had clearly dimmed down and he was no longer extremely stiff. He still blushed often, but I had found out that he was just easily embarrassed. I had to admit, I found it incredibly adorable that he flushed so often.

"It is!" I exclaimed, another small burst of laughter leaving me again at the mere thought of it. "If only I'd been there... I think I'd pay to see that happening."

Blood flooded to Kenta's cheeks. "Then you should visit us in class more often."

"I should," I agreed. It would be fun to see Kaito teaching a class, and it would definitely help the time fly by, though I wasn't sure if I wanted to waste time on anything other than baking and my books. Though, I supposed that I could always bring my novel with me as I sat in the classroom. That way, I wouldn't be missing out on anything funny that would happen to the gruff hunter, but I wouldn't exactly be doing nothing the entire time, either.

"Is it allowed?" Kenta pondered as he rested his forearms on his knees. "There _is _a rule stating how students should stay in their dorms when class isn't in session..." He paused for a moment, and then his head whipped to me. "Speaking of which, Ivy-san, won't you get into trouble if any of the staff see you out during this time?"

I waved off his concern with a smile. "No, I'm safe. And even if I wasn't allowed out, I would still probably sneak out anyways."

"But you could get into a lot of trouble," he reminded me, blinking his slanted almond eyes.

"I get into a lot of trouble on a daily basis," I pointed out with a grin. He had no idea how true that statement was—due to my occupation as a hunter, I often found myself in a lot of bothersome situations.

Kenta let out a soft sigh, his eyes observing and thoughtful as he gazed at me. "Don't tell me you're one of those people that believe rules are made to be broken, Ivy-san."

"I don't," I disagreed. It would be like saying I _approved _of vampires breaking the law that said they couldn't kill humans to feed. "But that doesn't mean I don't believe every rule has its exceptions."

Like Zero.

"Is that so?" Kenta's lips pressed together tightly for a moment before relaxing, his expression telling me exactly what he was thinking.

"Do you disagree?" I questioned, though I felt like I already knew the answer. Everything about Kenta seemed to scream "safe" and "good". I couldn't imagine him breaking any rules, whether it be something like skipping class to sleep in, or staying out past curfew.

"W-Well..." he trailed off, his face turning slightly pink. "Yeah..."

His embarrassment on the subject confused me slightly. "It's not as if following the rules is a bad thing. I mean, we're all entitled to our own opinions on it. I think that the fact you can actually follow the rules without falling into the temptation of breaking them is pretty awesome."

I felt like that was what made him so innocent—so naive. Perhaps it was because we lived in two completely different worlds. To him, breaking the rules could damage his future education and his career. To me, breaking the rules could be what saved my life.

More blood rushed to his face, turning his delicate shade of light rosette to crimson. One of his hands lifted to lightly rub at his nose. "R-Really?"

Mild surprise was laced into his tone, which was something that I couldn't quite understand. "What do you mean, 'really'?"

"I-I mean..." He let his sentence drift for a moment, rubbing his nose with a little more force. "I mean," he started again, "don't you think it's too... _good_?"

My eyebrows shot up so high they could've touched my hairline. "Are you worried about how others see you?"

Grey eyes snapped to meet mine upon hearing what I had said, his expression like a deer caught in headlights. "H-How did you—"

"I didn't," I confessed with a small laugh. "But you just confirmed it."

"Ah, geez," he muttered, his face burning like a fire. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, burying his face into his arms to avoid looking at me.

"Aw, come on, Kenta." I pushed myself upright from the ground and out of the sleeping position that I had been in. Nudging him lightly with my elbow, I tried to ease his self-consciousness. "I don't know what to say—I mean, what's wrong with following the rules, right? Are you worried that girls will see you as the 'nice guy' rather than the 'bad boy'?"

Kenta let out a distressed groan, shaking his head subtly. His humiliation was sprinkled into his smooth voice. "Can we not talk about this anymore? I take it back. Let's switch the topic to something like sports."

"No way," I rejected his suggestion. "Think about it this way—what's _wrong_ with being viewed as a nice guy?"

His reply was so quiet and so muffled, I almost missed it. "Because aren't the rebellious bad boys more appealing? Like people say... They're exciting, unpredictable, cool, and all that jazz."

"You mean that they're jerks who don't treat the girl with the respect she deserves?" I corrected, raising an eyebrow at him even though I knew he couldn't see it. "Admittedly, not every single delinquent you meet will be like that, but that's the kind of image you have in your head, right?"

"Sort of?" His stifled response was a question rather than a statement.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "Everyone's type is different, right? Some people like guys who treat them like crap, while other girls want to be pampered like a princess. Some girls want guys who are loud and wild, while others want a guy who is quiet and calm."

Raising his head slightly out of his arms so that his eyes were freed, he exhaled deeply. "And what about guys like me?"

"Guys like you?" I repeated, glancing at him.

"Y-You know..." he trailed off for a moment. When he spoke again, it was much quieter than his usual voice. "The kind of guy who's easily embarrassed, shy, not very brave at all, boring, and—"

"Really cute _because_ of his timid nature, super athletic, friendly, kind, compassionate, and not to mention amazingly handsome?" I finished for him. I let out another laugh when he averted his eyes and then buried his face into his arms again.

"I-Ivy-san..." he protested, shaking his head. "I'm none of those things."

"You just _think _you're not," I explained to him. "Trust me—the way you see yourself is different from the way others perceive you. I'm not lying when I say you're all those things. I'm not telling you to believe me, since it's unconvincing to hear things like that from friends, but it's the truth."

He obviously didn't believe a single word I had said about him. "Right..."

Realizing that I really hadn't made him feel better at all like I had originally planned, I wracked my brain for something to say that might help. I was never someone who could cheer others up properly, despite how bubbly people saw me. It was so difficult for me to find the right words to say that would actually make their spirits lift, rather than just bash their hopes into the ground more.

"Look, Kenta," I began as I stared at his mop of dark hair, "you need to understand that if you're not a bad boy, then you're just not a bad boy. You shouldn't change yourself to be someone you're not, right? You're just _you_. You'll find someone that will love and accept you just the way you are. Isn't that a million times better than having them fall in love with someone that you're only pretending to be? We're still pretty young, and we've got years and years ahead of us. Your perfect girl will come around eventually."

"I guess you're right." He let out another soft sigh, raising his head again. The two of us sat in silence with one another for a few moments, neither one of us looking at the other. While he was probably contemplating to him about what I had said, or thinking about his situation, I was having an internal battle with myself about the advice I had given him. It was the same kind of phrase that _I_ had been told before, and I hadn't even believed it when I first heard it.

Yet how could I be saying something like that to someone else?

My eyes fell from the view that stretched out in front of us down onto the grass that we were sitting on, my hands clenching into loose fists.

Maybe it just simply because I knew Kenta had nothing that prevented him from loving himself aside from his insecurities. It was different for me—_he_ was completely different. I knew that what I had done in my past wasn't something that could be forgiven nor dismissed.

It was hard to turn my head to look at the future when all I was ever reminded of was what had happened behind me. When all _they_ did was use it against me.

"Ivy-san?" Kenta's questioning voice broke me out of my reverie. "Ivy-san, are you okay?"

Snapping my eyes to meet his, I blinked at him for a moment. Not wanting him to see the expression that I knew I had on when thinking about such depressing matters, I quickly rearranged the look on my face into something more presentable. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He didn't look very convinced. "Are you sure? You seemed to get even paler than before. It looked almost as if all the blood had been drained out of your face."

"I'm fine," I let out a laugh that sounded strained even to my own ears. Quickly switching the topic, I noticed how he was standing up now. "Is it time for your club activities already?"

"Yeah, it is," he murmured. Dark eyebrows pulled together, and then he said hesitantly, "I can stay with you, if you're not feeling well. It's fine if I miss practice just once."

With my heart warming at his offer, I laughed and shook my head. "What are you saying? You love going to your practices, right? I'm fine, really. I plan to head back to the dorm anyways."

"Do you need me to walk you there?" His voice was laced with concern, and he held a large, masculine hand out.

Reaching out and grasping onto his rough, calloused hand, he helped pull me back onto my feet easily. Another laugh escaped me as I let go of his hand and gave him a light push. "Go, Kenta. You're going to be late. I'll be absolutely _fine_ on my own."

The bronze-tanned athlete gave me a long, assessing look as if trying to determine whether or not I was really fine. Seeing me raise my eyebrows at him, he let out a soft, defeated sigh. "Okay. Make sure that you take care while heading back, okay?"

"I will," I promised. I lifted my hand up in what could be considered a wave. "Have fun at practice!"

Another long look at me, and then he nodded his head. His lips tilted upwards into a smile, his eyes brightening slightly when he realized he would get to attend his group practice. Giving me just one more fleeting glance, he turned around and began a quick jog back towards the Day Class building.

I watched him as he went, waiting until he disappeared before I whirled around on my heels and prepared to make my way back to the Dawn Dormitory.

* * *

><p>The smell of yakisoba filled the air around the dorm before I even entered inside. The only person that I could smell inside the entire building was Zero—was <em>he<em> the one cooking something that smelled so delicious?

Opening up the door and then shutting it behind me, I took off my shoes and made my way towards the kitchen.

"I'm home," I stated as I appeared at the doorway of the room.

Sure enough, the silver-haired hunter was standing over the stove without an apron on over his Day Class uniform. His expression was the same slight scowl as always, but my eyes took notice of how his grip tightened slightly on the frying pan.

His eyes flickered over to me for just a second before falling back down to what he was cooking. "Do you ever sleep?"

Was that supposed to be his way of subtly stating he didn't want to see my face? Well, it didn't really hurt my feelings, but nonetheless.

"Of course I sleep," I responded as I made my way farther into the room, taking a seat on one of the bar-stools on the side of the granite island. "I just don't sleep _often_. And when I do, I'm usually like a dead log."

"I'm not surprised," he replied back as he skilfully tossed the noodles.

"I never knew that you could cook," I remarked. With his fluid and precise movements, there was no way that he was a rookie at it. It was something that surprised me about him, but not in a bad way. Rather, it made a soft smile crawl onto my face.

He remained silent as he tossed in some seasoning, and I didn't say anything else as I watched him make dinner. With his broad, muscled back still facing me, he eventually broke the stillness that surrounded us. "When did you make it?"

"Dessert?" I specified, my eyes flickering over to where the double-layered chocolate fudge cakes were.

"What else could I be talking about?"

"I made them earlier today."

He paused for a moment, and then glanced over at me through slightly narrowed eyes. "I didn't smell any blood today."

Meeting his eyes with my own, I smiled. "I didn't take my blood out while on school grounds. I went into town to get the ingredients I needed to make the cake, and while I was there, I visited the Association. I took my blood out while there and put them in vials so that I won't need to do it as frequently."

Zero's lavender eyes stayed locked with mine for another few seconds before they dropped down onto the island's counter. Shifting his entire body back forward to watch what he was frying, he turned his head away from me again and didn't say a word.

It never once slipped my mind how he hadn't asked me the one question that I knew most people would be dying to voice aloud. "You're not going to ask me about why I'm not letting you drink directly from me?"

"Would you tell me even if I asked?" he retorted in his quiet, smooth voice. Finished cooking, he turned everything off and grabbed the large bowl that he had placed out earlier. He carefully, but swiftly emptied the contents of the frying pan into the bowl before placing all the dirty dishes into the sink. He pushed the sleeves of his uniform up, prepared to wash the utensils.

"It's not because I'm scared of you, Zero," I told him, watching as his hand stopped on the tap. He stilled for a moment, probably to keep me from seeing the emotions that would surely flutter across his face, before slowly, rigidly, turning his body around to face me. The usual scowl that consisted of stern eyebrows over equally solemn eyes and a downward tilt of the lips adorned his expression.

"If that's the case," his voice felt an underlying tone of slight dubiousness, "then your reason would be?"

"That memory fragments can be transferred through the blood. When you drink from someone that you know, no matter how shallow your relationship with them may be, their privacy is violated whether it's intentional or not. Glances and peeks into their soul, entering their hearts and delving deeper than they'd want anyone to ever go, seeing all the memories that are held in their minds. I'm not scared of you, but..." My eyes dropped from his, and the volume in which the next words were spoken was barely audible. "I'm scared of _that_."

Two heartbeats of silence, then three, then four. After the fifth pair of thumps, he rotated his body back to the sink, turning the tap on and letting the water run. He broke the silence without looking at me, his voice holding the same sort of tone that it always did. "Good thing I'm not interested."

"Yeah..." I trailed off, letting out a soft sigh. I was being so indecisive—I wasn't sure whether or not I was glad that he wasn't prying. On one hand, it meant that any form of confrontation regarding my past would be avoided for now and that I was still able to feel comfortable around Zero. On the other hand, it meant that he was so different from back then. It meant that he had changed, and I didn't know if I liked this form of alteration that occurred.

Placing both my arms onto the cool granite of the island, I rested the side of my face along my forearms. Shutting my eyes, I wondered how different things would be if all the things in the past hadn't taken place.

But as the clock ticked in livid outrage in the room that was silent except for the running tap and clinks of china against china, I came to a realization that had my clenching my hands into tight fists.

I could no longer imagine that kind of future anymore.

* * *

><p><strong>AN : **

So... Y'know, did that clear it up for you guys? -SLAPPED-

Man, I love Kenta. I have to admit it. I think he's so cute. Maybe I'm just bragging or whatever because he's my OC, but PFFT. Let's just, you know, ignore that fact for now. ;_; I love writing about him, and I nearly died from cuteness when I was writing the Ivy and Kenta scene together. Ah, god. I can't wait to write about them more. I hope that you guys loved reading that part just as much as I loved writing it! XD

I apologize about any spelling errors, grammar mistakes, OOCness ( if it occurred ), and all that jazz!

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**Lianne Sabrina, Shannyrox101, Tsukuda Sumiko, TheSneakyHobo, TheSmuggler, FALLING-ANGEL24, Youknowwhothisis, AliceMarieSwan, x3sYellowie, and KuroNightroad**

Thank you so much for reviewing for me! You guys are awesome, and you have no idea how much I appreciate it! (:

Also, thank you to everyone who alerted and favourited! ;O

To **Shannyrox101**;

HAHA. Thank you, thank you. I'll try to rock on as well as I can. I'm on break, so I'm going to write like a machine. Don't say thank you to me, but I should be saying that to you for reading and reviewing! I hope that you did well on your midterms! And if you still haven't had them yet, well... GOOD LUCK! (: Thank you so much for pointing out that typo to me. XD If you spot any more in this chapter and the ones to come, please feel free to say so! I'm glad that you think Shiki was in character, and I hope that you can say the same for Zero in this one. -SLAPPED- Thank you so much for reviewing for me, and I hope to hear from you again soon!

To **Tsukuda Sumiko**;

Nono, it's fine! I understand how school can get in the way of everything. HAHA. Yeah, I felt like I should explain that part to people. I think a lot of people will feel like Ivy's special, and meh, I could go on about that, but I won't. There's lots of unanswered questions and things that haven't been mentioned yet, but ANYWAYS. I hope that this chapter cleared up the thing about the cake. ;D I'm glad you loved the interaction between Ivy and Shiki! (: Thank you so much for reviewing for me all the time, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

To **x3sYellowie**;

College just started for you? ;O I hope that it's going well! Don't worry, I understand how school can be. I'm glad that you liked the chapters! HAHA. Yeah, I love writing about Shiki. -grins- I just _had_ to include him. Yuuki _is _nice, and it's not like Ivy hates her. Everything will get clearer as the story progresses, so I hope you'll stay tuned to find out! HAHA, I added him in this chapter too, because I couldn't resist. -SLAPPED- I hope you liked it. I'm glad that you figured out what Ivy put inside the cake! ;D Thanks for reviewing for me, and I hope to hear from you again soon! Have fun in collegeeeeee. -grins-

To **KuroNightroad**;

LOL. ShikixIvy interaction. I love it. Maybe that's because I love Shiki _and_ Ivy. I don't know, but yeah. HAHA. He... probably hasn't. -SLAPPED- He's too good for that sorta stuff. -sniffs- I'm glad that you think Rixelvelt is cool! ;O I had so much trouble trying to describe it... You have no idea. OTL. It _is_ sad, but... -sigh- I don't know~ -grins- You'll have to read to find out. Ivy _does _have it hard, but there's a reason for that, and it's going to be revealed later on as the story unfurls! Ah, god. LOL. Nawh, Zero begrudgingly eats it. He can't resist it, since his vampire needs are taking over. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! (:

I DIED TRYING TO KEEP ZERO IN CHARACTER. WAS HE OKAY, YOU GUYS? TELL ME. I NEED ADVICE AND FEEDBACK. OTL. -SLAPPED-

Holy crap, I'm not even joking. I was dying a bit trying to keep him in character. I kept cutting out scenes and adding in scenes, and fixing how he acted, changing how he responded, rewording his phrases. GOD. It was painful, but I hope that I did a good job on it. Tell me what you guys think, 'kay? x.x"

Like always, I really hope that you guys will continue supporting me as well as this story!

Please review if you feel like I deserved it! (:

See you guys next time. ;O

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	7. Eyes Open While Drowning

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight. It belongs to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N : **

Yo! It's been a little over a month since I last updated... Man, I'm sorry about the relatively late update! A lot of stuff has been happening at school, and I _should_ be working my ass off to finish my online course since the deadline is coming up, but... Pfft. HAHA. Don't listen to me. I'm being a bad influence. -SLAPPED-

Well, I managed to finish the seventh chapter of Heterochromia, so I hope that you guys like it! I didn't get to write nearly as much as I wanted to on my break, hence the April update rather than the one in March, but... yeah. -sigh-

I hope you guys have fun reading this chapter!

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER SEVEN;**

_"Eyes Open While Drowning"_

* * *

><p>Two weeks passed by quickly without many memorable events. I spent a lot of time with Kenta, and we had grown extremely close through our constant hang-outs after the lectures for the Day Class students were over. Kaito, Yagari, and I remained as we always had, though we seemed more comfortable and at ease with one another now, even more so than before. I still wasn't warmly welcomed in the Night Class, but they seemed to be able to ignore my presence more efficiently now. Ichijou, Shiki, and Rima didn't seem to mind associating themselves with me, and while we weren't extremely close, we were friends. I had tried to avoid all and any kind of contact with the Purebloods, though it didn't always work out. Yuuki was too friendly—it made trying to steer clear of her difficult.<p>

Zero and I weren't "close", but he seemed to be used to my presence. Our conversations ranged from civil to coldly hostile to curtness and then silences. He was still detached from the rest of us, and I often caught him glancing at her, his eyes flickering away just as quickly. It was almost painful to watch their sad romance. We weren't friends, and while I didn't think he considered me a comrade, I didn't think he saw me as a stranger anymore, either. To him, I was someone who was just _there_. Not meaning anything, but not meaning nothing.

Sighing, I opened up the large door that led to the Dawn Dorm, shutting it behind me and taking my black, slightly dusty combat boots off. It was warm in the dorm, which was different from the crispy winds outside that signaled winter was on its way. Noticing that all three scents were gathered in the living room, I made my way over there.

Kaito looked over his shoulder at me as I appeared at the doorway. "You're back, Ivy?"

"You look horrible," Yagari bluntly remarked, his light cerulean eyes taking in my messy hair, the dirty clothes, and the even grimier trench coat, which I hadn't even bothered to take off.

I rubbed one of my eyes as I entered further into the room, ignoring both of the older males. Making my way over to the unoccupied couch, I collapsed onto it, my hands reaching out for the cushion that was there. Burying my head in it, I greeted the male that sat in one of the armchairs, and the only one who hadn't commented on my arrival back. "Hi, Zero."

"You're dirtying the couch," his voice said, sounding like melted chocolate—smooth and rich.

"You guys should all go away," I muttered, my eyes fluttering shut. "I'm tired. I come back after being gone for three days, and I don't even get a, 'Oh, Ivy, welcome home!'? Even Lydia would've offered me that much."

"Oh, Ivy, welcome home!" Kaito tried to sound like he meant it, but he failed miserably as his voice came out slightly flat. "You more satisfied now, you brat?"

"Well, it makes me happy that you tried," I told him honestly, lifting my hand up to shield the bottom half of my face as I let out a yawn. It had been a while since the last time I slept, so I felt more than just a bit exhausted. I didn't even want to move anymore, but I didn't want to succumb to the dream world, either.

Three days ago, I had gotten a mission from the Association that had wanted me to go investigate the strange killings in one of the places a few towns over. Since they weren't sure about whether the murderer was a vampire or not, they felt it was safer to send me, a vampire, to do the job rather than a regular hunter. If it was a mere human that was doing the killing, a vampire hunter's weapon wouldn't work, and it might catch them by surprise, providing an opening to be killed. Since vampires had enhanced senses, it would be harder to get someone like me off guard.

Turned out it was a vampire after all, though.

Bringing myself back to the present, I turned my face to the side so that I could stare at the people who sat across the glass coffee table from me. Yagari had taken up the opposite couch, while Kaito and Zero both sat in the large armchairs placed at the ends of the table. The way it had been positioned, we only seemed to form an even larger rectangle around the long table.

The air in the room seemed tense. It wasn't exactly a sort of tense that made me believe something tragic happened, but it wasn't exactly a tension that was created from being stunned at something amazing, either.

Eyeing Yagari, I inquired, "So?"

"So what?" the one-eyed hunter returned.

"You're all gathered here," I pointed out as I stifled another yawn. "So what's going on?"

"We were discussing the situation in regards to the vampires," Kaito informed me, his voice grave. His eyes met mine. "You know what I'm talking about, right?"

"The fact that there's been a lack of vampire activities the past few days, and the strangeness of it all, right?" So it was a serious discussion, after all. Sighing softly, I pushed myself up into a sitting position. I crossed one leg over the other, grabbing the cushion I had been resting my head on and placing it in my lap. I wrapped my arms around it.

Zero's eyes tightened slightly. "They're planning something."

"It was strange how the riots had suddenly stopped a week ago, too. They had been going at it so strongly, and abruptly they all just vanished. It's clear that they've got something up their sleeve, but _what_?" Kaito tipped his head back to stare up at the ceiling.

"There weren't any vampires lurking about while I visited other towns, either," I put in my ten cents. I stared down at the soft, square pillow that I held in my arms as I continued, "No matter what time it was, or where I went... It was almost as if they were all _gone_. I couldn't sense any of them nearby. It was unnerving."

"And what if they aren't planning something?" Yagari spoke, one of his arms stretched along the back of the couch while the other was tossing up a brand new package of cigarettes into the air. He always caught it easily before throwing it up into the air once more. It created a rhythm that didn't waver.

Zero's eyes darted to meet his former teacher. "What are you saying?"

"The fact that Ivy didn't sense them _at_ _all _is more than just unusual. Who says that it's not possible they were all killed?" The implications behind Yagari's words had us all freezing for a moment, the tension getting even thicker.

"The Association would never order something like a vampire wipe-out like that. That'd be a massacre—we're better than that. Who would stand against the organization so palpably?" I couldn't imagine an order being issued out secretly by the Association to eliminate all vampires within the area. While hunters generally hated the nightwalkers, there was no way that their hate could extend into such measures that they'd defy the Association as well as the law, right?

"When people believe strongly enough in what they believe is right, do you think that they'll give a crap if they defy the Association? They're not going to be afraid of the consequences. Don't look so surprised, Ivy. You've seen it before—a time when people stood up against the Association." Yagari's eye slid to meet mine in a way that had my heart almost stopping for a moment before restarting again, the beats faltering.

Yes, I had seen a time in my life when hunters stood up against hunters. I had seen all the arguments that had occurred and all the fights that had broke out. Everyone—all of us who had been like brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers to one another—had chosen their sides, not wanting to fight, but needing to do so.

Lydia, Satoshi, Trance, Yagari, Kaien, Kaito... _Them_.

My throat tightened, and I couldn't bring myself to look into his piercing blue orb anymore. I tore my eyes away, turning my head to the side to keep the expression on my face from showing. I didn't know what I looked like—horrified? Did I have an expression of pain across my features? Were the emotions of anguish tattooed clearly across my forehead? Because those were all things that I felt. My hands curled up into tight fists, and I shut my eyes.

Why did he have to bring it up? I knew that Yagari didn't intend to be plainly cruel, and I wasn't mad at him for approaching the subject, but I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what I could do, because I knew that I couldn't go back into the past and change everything.

"I don't want it to happen again." The volume in which I spoke was quiet. "I don't... want to see all of it again."

"Hey, hey, don't go jumping to conclusions now." The sound of Yagari shifting slightly on the couch was heard. "I never said that it was a hunter."

"You think it's another vampire?" Kaito caught on.

"It'd have to be a Pureblood," Zero stated. Despite the calmness he spoke with, his words were lined with a certain hatred and malice. When I glanced over at him, he had his head turned towards the oldest hunter in the room, showing me his beautiful side profile. His chiseled jaw line was strong and defined, the corner of his lips tugged downwards. The silver strands of hair fell into tightened eyes that showed an emotion almost similar to barely contained bloodlust.

"A strong aristocrat is also possible," Yagari reminded the lavender-eyed hunter. "The vampires that were wiped out couldn't have been higher than a Level C. Aristocrats that are of high lineage wouldn't have a problem with them."

"Were any of the Night Class students missing lately?" Kaito questioned Zero.

Unable to help it, I cut Zero's response off before he could even say anything. "What makes you accuse the Night Class, Kaito?"

His hazel eyes shifted to meet mine, and his expression was somber. "I'm not accusing them of anything. I'm asking a simple question that only requires a yes or no answer."

"No, that wasn't it at all," I argued. My lips thinned as I stared up at the man who I had known from the moment I had been born—someone who had always seemed like an older brother. It wasn't rare that Kaito and I had disagreeing opinions though, and this was one of those times. "You think that it's one of them."

"You weren't here for three whole days, Ivy," Kaito countered, his eyes steadfast. "The things that have been going around the academy these past few days—you know none of it."

"I don't," I agreed, my hold on the pillow tightening, "but I know that none of them would've done it. They have no motivation to. I've been in that class for almost a month, Kaito. Like I've been told to, I've been observing everyone, and none of them would do it. And even if one of them wanted to, she would've put a stop to it."

"'She'?" Kaito repeated.

"Yuuki," Zero clarified. The way he said her name had me automatically shutting my eyes. It was such a sad tone with shallow hatred. He didn't seem to notice, but no matter how he said her name, it rolled off his tongue so easily, almost like even if he had never been able to speak, her name would still be able to be spoken. Affection, tenderness, gentleness—he hid them all, but somehow all those emotions seemed so loud.

Yagari's tone was almost unnaturally relaxed. "You've gotten attached, Ivy."

My eyes snapped up to meet his, my heart thumping a bit harder than it needed to. "I—"

"You weren't supposed to," Kaito interrupted me. He let out a soft sigh, dragging a hand down his face. "This is another reason why I said they shouldn't have sent you. You're easily moved. Easily manipulated and attached. Everything about you isn't meant for a job that requires you to remain disconnected from others."

Silence reigned between Kaito and I, the tension in the air almost crackling. Zero and Yagari seemed to know it was better to keep quiet, as they both merely observed the way Kaito and I stared at one another. The twenty-two year-old's breathtaking hazel eyes weren't cold and harsh as they looked at me, but disapproving. The way his lips were pressed together and pulled downwards, the way his eyebrows were straight and the way his body was slightly tensed... Everything about him suggested the fact that he wasn't happy about what we were talking about.

My heart clenched painfully in my chest, and I pressed my lips tighter together to keep them from trembling slightly like the way my hands were. My entire body was stiff, and I felt a lump growing inside my throat. The back of my eyes stung—Kaito really didn't understand.

I couldn't expect him to.

He was right—when it came to something that required no attachments and no emotions, I couldn't do it. I wasn't someone who could push people away, because I was someone who needed to be close to people. I was a person that pursued others because I couldn't handle solitude. Things like friendship, family, and just bonds in general. I was a person who couldn't live without them, and so I constantly thrived to create more of them, almost as if I was scared that I could eventually run out of them.

A laugh escaped me, but it was forced and it sounded weird even to my ears. It was a tight, strained sound that had a touch of hoarseness in it thanks to my closing throat. Tearing my eyes away from Kaito, I shook my head and stood up from the couch, slamming the pillow I had been holding tightly on onto the back of the sofa and letting it drop onto the seat. The couch itself slid back a few centimeters from the force I had used, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

"Ivy—" Yagari started, but I intervened.

"And what's wrong with that, Kaito?" Instead of coming out cold and harsh like I had wanted it to, the words came out quietly and in a tone that almost sounded hurt. I wanted to slap myself for it, but my entire body felt like it was made of lead. "What's wrong with wanting to be close to others? What's so _wrong_ about not wanting to be alone?"

"There's nothing wrong—"

"You don't know." I turned my head off to the side, swallowing. "Kaito, you don't know how it is for the five of us. For us to have been like that for three and a half years. It's gotten to the point where none of us can handle it anymore. We don't want to feel that kind of pain again. Being alone hurts more than you can imagine. How long do you think I waited for you to visit, Kaito? You, who I had always looked up to. You, who I had always, _always _loved because you were like an older brother to me." My eyes met his. "You never came."

His expression was so grim—it was a look that I hadn't seen for many years. Normally, I would've been worried as to why he looked like that. I would've been slightly afraid of what had occurred and what I had done. Yet now, as I looked at him, I couldn't help but feel nothing. "You're bringing your personal matters into—"

"_Everything_ is _always_ personal, Kaito," I cut him off. "You were the one who brought it into this conversation. I never wanted to talk about this with you. I wanted to _forget_. Yet you brought it back—the realization that I can't... that what I have with everyone is only so shallow. You made me remember, even though I never wanted to remember again, the fact that the only people that can understand me are the ones who are part of EX5. To have the realization I had been trying so hard not to notice once again being presented to me, and by you no less, I don't..."

My mind automatically flashed to the five people who had been bitten a couple years ago. Their names and faces came to me easily—people who I could never forget. Urushiyama Junko. Jojima Nao. Cheryl Armstrong. Al Riggs. All four of them, who knew exactly how it felt—those four, who shared the same pain I did, the same treatment, the same kind of prejudice. All five of us bound together in ways deeper than just bonds. We all shared an understanding with one another—that we would stick together, no matter what would happen.

Our own family in which we understood each other on levels nobody else could.

EX5 was the name our group had somehow gotten. It had been started from some hunters, and it eventually spread and grew onto everyone. To everybody, it was the name of the clique in which all five vampire hunters were also vampires. It was a name that signified what we had gone through, the way we were connected. It was a name that would always bring us back together.

"You're not listening to me." Kaito's voice brought me back down to the present. His eyes were ignited with a fire that burned fiercely, his clasped hands tightening. "It's true that I can't understand everything that you've been through, Ivy. If you're asking me to know exactly how you feel, that's asking too much of me. I'm not a superhuman, but if that's how you feel, then that just further emphasizes the point that you're not meant to be here."

"I'm not leaving," I bit out firmly. "I'm not here for you, and I'm not here to ask you to understand me because I know you never will. And you know what? That's enough. I'm okay with that. It... doesn't even matter." I let my eyes fall from his, the tiredness that I had felt earlier when I came back to the dorm entering my system again. It seemed even heavier than before, since getting so riled up made me feel more than just exhausted. "But I don't think that Night Class did it. I don't think that the vampires are gone because they were killed, and I'm pretty sure that you all have that feeling as well."

My eyes darted from Kaito, whose expression was still as grim as ever, to Yagari, who also had a serious expression on his features. Something like exasperation lined his eyes though, and his usually languid body was stiffened slightly. When my eyes glided over to Zero, I was startled to see his eyes watching me instead of Kaito.

Perhaps Zero could understand?

Meeting his eyes, I felt even more upset than I already was. His eyes that seemed so similar to the way mine were underneath the barriers—the eyes that all members of EX5 had. Eyes that looked haunted, loathing, depressed, hurt, pained... The list went on and on.

We were similar, but we were so different.

Tugging my lips upwards into a small, soft smile that I knew looked sad, I ripped my eyes away from his and pivoted on my heels quickly. Maneuvering my way around the furniture, I passed by Kaito with a brief glance. Their eyes burned into my back as I started to leave, the room nearly silent except for our breathing and the whisper of my footsteps.

"Where are you going?" Yagari asked, stopping me just as I reached the doorway.

I knew that I couldn't let it get to me. Like I had learned to do so well, I pushed aside the bitterness that I felt and looked over my shoulder at the one-eyed hunter. Smiling as brightly as I could, I said, "I'm going to shower and then get ready for class."

"Ivy—"

"It's okay, Kaito," I turned my head back to the front. "Just forget it." I didn't let him continue with what he wanted to say as I exited the room and hastily made my way up two flights of stairs to reach the third floor. Opening my bedroom door with more roughness than necessary, I stalked into my room and shut the door a bit softer, trying to mind my actions.

Taking my trench coat off, I let out a sigh as I observed the way dirt and mud covered it, as well as grass stains and dust. I had no doubt that it matched the clothes that I had on underneath, but I supposed that it was a good thing. It was time to do the laundry, anyways. I took it in with me as I entered my bathroom, dumping it into the hamper that held my dirty clothing.

As I undressed and got into the shower, I couldn't help but let my mind drift back to the argument that I had with Kaito. A loud, deep sigh left me as I turned the tap to the hottest that it could go, letting the scalding water rain down on me in an attempt to try and erase everything that had been on my mind.

My hand reached for the shampoo, and as I washed my hair, I felt a kind of loneliness that I hadn't felt for quite a while. I knew that I wasn't _actually _alone, since I was living in this dorm with the three hunters, but for some reason, it felt desolate.

Kaito was right. I couldn't ask him to just understand every part of me, but I wondered if he tried. To understand someone seemed like such an easy thing, but when you actually took time to look at it, ponder it, try and achieve it, it was much more difficult than it looked. I felt like it was probably one of the hardest things to do—to truly, _genuinely_, understand someone.

Perhaps I really _was_ still just bitter about what had happened in the past, but I couldn't help it. While I held no romantic feelings for the tawny-haired hunter, I still saw him as one of the closer members of our enormous family. It hurt deeply when he never showed up to visit, though I should've known that he wouldn't.

After all, he had never supported it.

But there had always been a small part in me that had hoped—almost desperately—that he'd prove me wrong and come by. I wanted to wake up one day and see him sitting at the side of my bed, telling me how awful I looked or staring at me with his hazel eyes and asking me in a serious tone whether or not I was alright. I didn't expect any bouquets or any gifts—I had simply just wanted his presence.

It would've been enough.

But he never came.

I always wondered about whether it was better or not of him not to have visited. Was it his way of being kind? After all, if he had visited with half-hearted or false feelings, it was true that I wouldn't have been happy in the least. It was possible that he knew this, and decided not to see me because he knew I'd only be upset about it afterward. If he stopped by without really wanting to—without truly wanting to see me—it would be shown clearly on his face no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

Yes, perhaps not visiting at all was Kaito's way of showing me he still cared.

If I had to be honest with myself, I really wasn't sure about it anymore. The more I thought about it, the more confused I was. It got to the point where I decided it was probably best if I stopped thinking about it altogether, which was the case when it came to what had happened years ago, and the way I had felt regarding my relationship with others.

I never really quite wanted to believe it—that I couldn't ever truly get along with others because of how I was so different. I wasn't really a true hunter anymore, but I wasn't part of the vampires, either. I never really belonged anywhere. I was just stuck in between, standing right in the middle between those that lived in the day and those that woke when night fell. No matter how hard I tried, I knew that I could never actually _fit in_ with either side. It was a fact that I had known the moment I had gotten bitten by the Pureblood.

Even now, though it'd been years, I knew that it still wasn't the same with the hunters. While most had gotten rather used it, there were still feelings of mistrust lingering in the air. It wasn't their fault, but that didn't change anything all that much. Hunters had been brought up to despise the beings we hunted and to never _ever_ believe in any of them. So it was natural of the others to be wary when with us, yet the way it stung never lessened or vanished. It got better as the years went by, and by now, with Zero as a hunter that was turned into a vampire as well, it seemed like they were more accepting of it.  
>Maybe it was because Zero would be the president in the near future. I didn't know—perhaps it was because they had gotten used to the idea through EX5, or they simply just preferred him more. I didn't know, but I didn't blame the silver-haired hunter for it. Rather, it was relieving that there wasn't too much of an uproar with him.<p>

My eyes narrowed slightly as I rinsed out the shampoo and then applied the conditioner, my mind still on how it was relieving that there were no rampages or outbreaks when it had been announced that Zero was going to be the one to run the Association branch here.

I was sure that the others in EX5 also felt the way I did—they were glad.

There would be no repeats.

The time of the meeting regarding who would be fit to take the place of President was only a handful of days away—the day when my grandparents would be going up against Yagari and Kaito. I already knew what I was going to do, but that didn't lessen my nerves any less. The mere thought of seeing the two of them made my stomach knot unpleasantly.

It was an encounter that I wanted to avoid at all costs.

A few more minutes passed as I rinsed my hair once more and finished up cleaning any dirt or grime that had gotten on me while I had been on my mission. When I was satisfied, I turned the shower off and cracked open the fogged up glass door, reaching for the towel that hung on the side. Wrapping it around me, I stepped out of the shower and grabbed another new towel off the rack to dry my hair with.

Making my way out of the bathroom and into my room, I went into my closet to pull out my spare Night Class uniform, since the other one was lying in my hamper of unclean clothing. Changing into the white attire quickly, I placed a towel around my shoulders to keep my hair from getting my uniform wet, since I had no intention of blow-drying it.

I entered my washroom again, picking up the relatively full hamper and carrying it out of my room. From the scents in the dorm, they were all still in the living room, though I had no idea what they could still be discussing. As I began to descend down the stairs, my ears perked for some kind of sound, I realized that they _weren't_ speaking. The only sounds that came from them were the soft breaths that they released, followed by equally gentle inhales.

Confused, I made my way back to the living room. Their eyes automatically shot to meet mine as I leaned against the doorframe that led to the ridiculously spacious area. "What are you guys doing, just sitting here not saying anything?"

"None of your business," Yagari retorted, though there was no real bite in his voice.

"I never said I was talking to _you_, Yagari," I countered, though we all knew what I had asked was directed at any of them. Before the wavy-haired mentor could make some snappy response that I knew would leave me looking like an idiot, I asked, "Do any of you guys have clothing that needs to be washed?"

"I can do it myself," Zero responded as he pushed himself up from the armchair he had been occupying. He began walking towards me, the sound of his footsteps just a caress against the floor.

My lips pulled down slightly. "But I'm just about to do my own laundry, so you don't need to trouble yourself with it. I'll do it all with mine, so it's okay."

He glanced down at me briefly as he passed. "I don't need you to do it for me."

My body half-turned to follow after his tall, lean figure. "But Zero—!" Whatever I was going to say just died in my throat when he disappeared promptly around the corner. It bothered me slightly that he was so independent. I felt that he needed someone to take care of him, because it was clear that he couldn't do it himself.

The facial expression that was sure to dance across his features if I had said that aloud would definitely be anything but pleased.

Sighing, I turned back to the two older males. "How about you guys?"

"I'm fine," Yagari waved a hand dismissively. "I don't ruin my clothes as fast as you do, so there really isn't anything to wash."

"Hey," I protested. "_You _try coming out all pristine after getting into that town. It was so rowdy there, you would be lucky not to get hit in the face with a tree branch the second you walked in." I remembered that the moment I had stepped foot into the town's territory, a small kid running by had almost slapped me with the thin, but large tree branch he had been carrying around. It wasn't as if that was all—people in that town threw dirt at others if they angered one another, and it wasn't uncommon to have muddy water randomly being splashed around.

The word "unpleasant" couldn't have cut it.

"Yeah, yeah," he brushed off what I said.

"How about you, Kaito?" Although I wasn't exactly angry with him anymore, my voice was still a bit strained. The tension between us still seemed to be hanging persistently above our heads, and it felt just a tad bit awkward.

His eyes clashed with mine. "I'm fine."

Feeling something like shame and guilt washing over me, I quickly dropped my gaze from his. "Okay then." I prepared to turn around and head for the room that held the laundry machines when Yagari spoke again.

"You're not doing to dry your hair properly?"

Blinking, I glanced over my shoulder at him. His single ocean orb stared into my gold and emerald ones. "No—I prefer just leaving it like this and letting it dry on its own. Why?"

He held my eyes for a moment longer before shifting his gaze elsewhere. "If you get sick, don't expect me to take care of you."

"Don't worry," I laughed, my heart touched by his covered concern. "I won't catch a cold. Thanks, though." Resuming my trek to the laundry room, I placed the basket down onto the floor once I reached my destination. Taking out the detergent box, I was pondering just how much I needed to put into the machine when the door opened to reveal a tall, lean hunter standing there with his own basket of unclean clothing in his hands.

Silently, he entered the room and set his hamper of clothes down.

Without a word, he already started to separate his clothing. I followed his actions just a second later, setting the box of detergent aside. We were silent as we sorted through our clothes, tossing the whites together and the colours with each other. It wasn't a long process, and I focused my mind on doing that single task. I didn't want to think about anything else.

When we finished, I gathered up both his and my pile of white clothing, taking a look at how big the load would be. Picking up the scoop in the detergent box, I placed in the required amount.

"What are you doing?" he asked, noticing how I was planning to wash both our whites together rather than separately.

"I'm saving water," I responded easily. "If we were going to wash them separately, the loads would be so small. It'd be a waste. It's fine this way, isn't it?"

"Should you be asking that after you've already mixed our clothes together?" Zero sighed almost inaudibly, folding his arms loosely over his chest.

I grinned at him in response. I went over to the second washing machine and repeated my actions, dumping in the appropriate amount of detergent and setting the water to cold. After a few more moments, I decided that the detergent and water were probably thoroughly blended. Grabbing all the white clothing, I opened up the door to the machine and began to drop them in one by one.

"So what are you doing?" I didn't look up from what I was doing.

"What does it look like?" Glancing at him from the corner of my eye, I noticed how he was doing what I was doing as well, only he was putting in the coloured clothing into the other machine.

"Well, the laundry, but what I meant was why you're still here _to_ do it." It was said as a statement, yet I made it sound like I was asking him something instead.

"Does it matter?" I came to notice that he replied with that phrase often.

My eyes were trained on the fabric that I was loading into the machine separately. Inhaling deeply, I concluded, "You're here to ask me about what happened with Kaito, aren't you?"

He was silent for a moment, throwing the material into the machine with his slender, pale hands. Eventually, as we both finished up loading the machines and putting in the fabric softener, he declared in his usual quiet, angelic voice, "You're wrong."

Unable to help it, my eyebrow quirked upward as I closed the door of the machine and looked at him. "I am?"

"What happened between you and Kaito isn't my business," he stated. "I have no reason to ask you anything about it when it doesn't concern me."

"But you're curious," I observed. His eyes narrowed at me slightly, and his lips parted to speak, but I interrupted him with a laugh. A hand reached up to grasp the pendant on my necklace, and I looked up at him with a small smile. "Zero, do you think that I understand you?"

"What kind of question is that?" he answered, his amethyst orbs watching me warily.

"One that doesn't really need an answer," I replied, "because I already know I do. Even though you've been surrounded by people all this time, Zero, you're lonely. Those around you act as if they know just how hard it is for you—they reassure you that things will be okay, and that _you_ will be okay, but you can't bring yourself to believe them. After all, they're just empty words—just _words_. What meaning do they really hold? No matter what, the uneasiness you feel doesn't go away. Shrouded by loneliness, pain, sadness, hate, and fear..." I trailed off, my hand clutching tighter at my necklace as my body grew taut.

I was thinking about those things again.

"You can't possible think that there isn't a single person in the world who understands you." My head tilted as I regarded him, taking in his rigid posture and the way his frown was deepening with every word I spoke. His eyes looked almost as if they were building even more barriers rather than letting the old ones tumble down. "Because if you do, then that's wrong. You're not alone, even if you truly think you are. We understand you, because we went through similar experiences, have similar thoughts, and share the same kind of feelings. We can understand you. But you know..." My eyes dropped from his. "We're completely different from you."

Because EX5 was only EX5, and because Zero was Zero—the future head of the Association. Our similarities were numerous, but so were our differences. We couldn't ever be like Zero, even if we wanted to.

He was someone on an entirely different level than us.

"And you know what, Zero? It's _because _we're so different from you that we've decided that, no matter what, you will _not _turn into one of us. All of us... We're all going to protect you with all our strength, because we will never, _ever_, let anyone feel the way we did back then."At my words that mirrored my thoughts, my lips pulled upwards into a wide smile. My throat felt a bit tighter, and while my heart was both light and heavy at the same time, I couldn't help but feel a certain warmth wash through me, because I felt like I could be proud of myself. I felt like, for once, I wouldn't be doing the wrong thing.

"What are you—"

"To us, you're... You're almost like our angel?" I laughed a bit. "Yeah, that sounds about right." He probably had no idea what I was blabbering on about, but he didn't _need _to understand it. He just needed to keep what I said in mind, because none of it was a lie.

Even if he said he didn't need to be protected, even if he denied being an angel, and even if he hated us for it—we wouldn't ever leave him alone. We couldn't.

Because he was it—he was the one.

And we wouldn't allow him to suffer like we did.

Incredulity was in his eyes and it brushed delicately along his sharp, masculine features. His tensed body only seemed to stiffen even more. His frown looked so deep, it was like if it tugged any lower, his entire face would break. His eyebrows were straight and stern, pulling together just slightly over his narrowed eyes. I wasn't sure how he felt with what I had just said. I had no doubt he'd be perplexed and probably also extremely irritated, but his eyes seemed to be different. There was a sort of glint in them that I couldn't really decipher, but it didn't look like a pleasant kind of glimmer at all.

"What's this about 'protecting' me? Are you an idiot? I don't need you to protect me, even if you were capable of doing so." I felt like I had just been slapped in the face—he clearly thought that I wasn't an adept hunter. Admittedly, it was partially true, since my illness often rendered me unable to do anything on missions, but it wasn't something that happened each and every single time I went out on a hunt.

Continuing on, his eyes only seemed to narrow more. "Don't go around comparing me to something like an angel. Something like that is the complete opposite of what I am." He let out a small scoff. "Understanding me—I don't know what gave you the impression that you could."

"But I do," I answered with a smile. His glower only seemed to intensify, and I let out another laugh. "I'm not asking you to actually comprehend what I said, but I really just wanted you to know. You can erase it from your mind, if you want." I turned away, walking towards the exit of the room. Pausing when I reached the doorframe, I looked at him over my shoulder and said, "But I never tell lies."

"Tashiro—!"

Before he could say anything else, I had already used the speed that vampires were provided, quickly exiting the dorm and out into the cold winds of the early evening. The lessons for the Night Class students would be starting soon, I realized.

Sighing, I walked a few more meters before stopping. My other hand reached up to grasp my first hand that held the pendant, and I squeezed my hands tighter together, my eyes shutting.

He wanted answers, but answers were things that I couldn't give him.

* * *

><p>I had absolutely <em>no <em>idea what Yagari was talking about as he stood in front of the class. His words were only a buzz in my ears—I couldn't make out what he was saying, nor could I see him clearly through my fuzzy vision.

After days without sleep, my body was finally reaching its limit. I had my arms crossed on the desk with my head lying on my forearms, and Yagari's deep voice resounding through the room sounded like a lullaby. My eyelids felt like they had bricks placed on them, so opening my eyes after blinking seemed like an impossible task. Soon, everything I saw began to merge together, and when I closed my eyes to blink, I found that I couldn't open them again.

As I fell into a deep sleep, I never would've imagined what would be awaiting me when I woke up.

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><p><strong>AN : **

Yup, so that concludes the seventh chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it! I loved writing it, because it showed a new side of Ivy for a moment. It came out a bit more tense than I had imagined it, but I think that this way works out better than what I had intended. HAHA.

I'm so excited for the next chapter, because it's going to contain Satoshi and two members of EX5. NOBENEOWNBOWEB. I'M ITCHING TO WRITE IT. AHMYGOD. I hope you guys look forward to meeting them!

I apologize if I made any spelling mistakes or grammar errors, and if I made anyone OOC in this chapter!

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**Lianne Sabrina, Dead Pan, Yamai-san, Astin, Youknowwhothisis, ASimpleComment, AliceMarieSwan, and Anemos**

Thank you so much for reviewing for me! You guys have absolutely no idea how much I appreciate it.

Also, thank you to everyone who alerted and favourited! (:

Like usual, I'm going to address some reviewers down below, so if you don't want to waste your time, feel free to skip it!

To **Dead Pan**;

HAHA. I'm just awesome that way, eh? I'm glad that I managed to catch you before you logged off, though! I laughed when I read your comment, because it's happened to me before as well, back when I used to read fanfiction. Thanks so much for reviewing for me! I'd love to hear from you again. I wonder if I magically updated just as you were about to log off this time, too? XD

To **Yamai-san**;

Congrats on guessing correctly! ;D HAHA. I think I'm just biased, but I considering I love Ivy to bits in general, I usually love her with anyone, but this _is_a ZeroxOC fanfiction, so, y'know. XD I love writing about Kenta. I think he's adorable, and he turned out to be cuter than I had intended, but I love him more this way. Mm, requests? I'm not quite sure what you mean by that. Do you mean requests for what you want to happen in the story, like some sort of extra or side chapter? Or a request to write another fanfic in general? I'm sorry, I'm a bit confused with what you mean. If you don't mind clearing it up for me, I'd appreciate it! Thank you so much for your continuous support!

To **Anemos**;

Ahh, Ivy's pasttttttt. Well, it's definitely going to be revealed gradually throughout the story. However, her past _specifically _regarding Zero and Ichiru will be sometime in the next few chapters, I think. I'm not quite sure yet, but that's what I have planned. But then again, whenever I write, things usually never turn out the way I had been expecting them to. HAHA. The thing with Ichijou also has a reason, which will be later revealed in the story! You'll just have to wait to find out whether or not he's really just that friendly or if he has a motive behind it! I hope you look forward to that. You like Kaito and Ivy more than you like Ivy and Kenta? Hmm, I think that's the first time I've heard of that! Nonetheless, I'm glad that you like them together. I'm not quite sure what you'll feel after reading this chapter, though... -SLAPPED- The last two questions will _also_ be revealed in upcoming chapters! I think that your question about how they all met will be explained in the next chapter. I think. Anddd, OH. IS IT CELTIC? To be completely honest, I don't know if the word "Rixelvelt" has a meaning. I had been in class one day and I was really bored, so I had been trying to think of a name for Ivy's weapon, and it just sort of hit me. I thought that it was a completely made-up word, but... Yeah. I didn't use it with the intention of having a _real_ meaning behind it. I'm sorry if this is disappointing to you! OTL. Thank you so much for reading and supporting me!

And that's the end of my responses this time!

ZERO? IN CHARACTER? WHAT'S THAT? Okay, well, I don't really know if he was in character or not. I'll need you guys to tell me your thoughts on it, so if you have the time, please do so! I'd love to know if he was or wasn't, and if he wasn't, constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated! You guys have no idea how many times I had to rewrite his dialogue. -SLAPPED-

Thank you so much for reading and for supporting me, you guys! I hope you liked this chapter!

I'm curious; who are you guys looking forward to meeting in the next chapter more? Satoshi, Ivy's older brother, or a few of the members in EX5?

Tell me your thoughts and opinion in a review! Love it? Like it? Hate it?

I hope to speak with everyone again soon! (:

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	8. Standing Sentinels

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight. It belongs to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N:**

Hey guys! It's been a while since I last updated, and I'm sorry for that! School's been killing me, but I've been so eager to write this chapter. HAHA. Unfortunately, I kind of neglected a bunch of stuff like my other fanfics, BUT... I got this one updated, so yay! (:

As I said, Satoshi and two members of EX5 will make their appearance in this chapter, while the last two in EX5 will make their debut in the next! And, ahmygod, I'm going to warn you guys right now about my horrible skills at writing about fights. Trust me, I can't write fight scenes _at all__, _so I'm apologizing in advance for making your eyes bleed.

Other than that, enjoy! (:

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER EIGHT;**

_"Standing Sentinels"_

* * *

><p>Cracking one eye open first, I let out another stifled yawn before opening the other. My vision was hazy and blurred due to my grogginess, and I rolled over onto my stomach, pulling my covers up over my head as I let my eyelids fall over my eyes again.<p>

While I knew that I could fall asleep again if I truly wanted to, I reached up to tentatively brush my fingertips over a cheek and an eye, already knowing what had happened. I had no doubt the other side of the face was similar. Grimacing lightly, I wiped at my face, my hands getting a bit slicker as I did so.

Still lying on my stomach, I stretched my arms and legs, trying to get rid of the tired feeling that my muscles held. Feeling much more energized after elongating my stiff muscles, I let out a small sigh that was followed by a slight smile as I sat up in my bed, the thick blanket sliding off my head and falling in a heap on my lap.

No longer half asleep, a realization struck me.

I was in my room.  
><em><br>How...?_

Confused, I glanced around my room to see if anyone was there. It didn't surprise me, but the area was completely empty of human existence except for me. My eyes took in the pile of neatly folded and ironed clothes that sat on my desk, and my eyebrows furrowed together imperceptibly before I realized one of them had probably done it for me. With a grin beginning to stretch along my face, I ran a hand through my hair. As I threw the covers off of me, the cold air greeting me instantly, brushing against my skin and making me shiver slightly. I wanted nothing more than to crawl back under my covers, but from the look outside my window, it was probably a bit past noon at this point.

Inhaling, the freshest scent in my room wouldn't be of any help at all, considering all three of them had entered my room simultaneously. I made my way over to my bathroom, preparing to do all the customary actions. I noticed that I was still wearing my Night Class uniform, and I let out a laugh. I supposed they were smart enough to not attempt to change me, though I don't think it really would've mattered anyways.

I had no idea why girls made a fuss about people seeing them in their undergarments, since I felt like it was the same thing as wearing a bikini. But then again, I was always told by the males of EX5 that I didn't have any delicacy to me at all, so perhaps it was just me.

After I cleaned myself well, I exited the bathroom wrapped in a towel. I went over to my dresser, taking out the necessary undergarments and taking out a pair of white skinny jeans, a t-shirt, and a pastel pink pullover hoodie. I quickly change out of my uniform and dressed myself up in my casual clothing, pulling the long strands of dark red-brown hair out from under the hoodie. Right before placing my wrinkled Night Class uniform back onto a hanger—I knew I'd have to iron it out later—I blinked when I caught the fragrance that lingered very faintly on it.

My eyebrows shot up, my eyes widening. Perplexity and surprise thudded through me, and for a moment, all I could do was stare at the white attire like it was something mythical. Blinking, I snapped out of my daze after a few moments and shook my head, a smile spreading across my face. I'd definitely have to thank him for it later.

Opening up a small box that was placed on top of my dresser, I took out a glass vial that was almost exactly like a test tube except for the fact that it had a stopper placed in the opening. Since it was the afternoon, I'd have to finish baking dessert before the Day Class students were dismissed.

I woke up thinking that today would be a normal day, yet as I made my way down to the kitchen to get something to eat, a bad feeling similar to that of dread crept along my spine. An uneasy feeling invaded me suddenly, and my lips tugged downwards into a frown as I took a shiny red apple from the bowl that sat in the center of the island. I didn't know why I was feeling this way, but I didn't like the creeping sensation in the least. My stomach clenched tightly, making me feel sick.

I hadn't even taken a single bite out of my apple before I understood why.

Their scents hit me like a bulldozer, the stench of them so strong that I nearly toppled over from the force of it. My heart banged in my chest, and I was out of my seat in an instant. The Dawn Dormitory was a bit more isolated from Cross Academy's other buildings and was definitely closest to the main gate, something that I was incredibly grateful for at the moment.

As I ran towards the front door and hastily slipped on my combat boots, mild bewilderment swept through me. I didn't understand what was going on—why were they here? Why were there so many of them? What did they _want_?

Shaking my head roughly, I knew that I couldn't think about such matters now. I was just about to leave when I caught sight of my trench coat hanging off the black hanger near the door, looking completely spotless unlike the last time I had seen it. Snatching it off the hook, I slipped it on rapidly and unzipped the largest compartment that was inside of the coat, dropping the glass container in and then fastening it up as I raced out of the dorm.

Even when I was still quite far away, I could see their figures in a pretty large crowd at the front of the school gates. It was almost as if they were waiting for someone to come, as they merely stood still, all of their hungry crimson eyes staring straight at the path that led towards them. Their lips curled up into smiling snarls as they saw me approach, and my lips thinned as I took in their dirty, ragged clothing.

Fresh bloodstains.

In fact, as I got closer, my eyes swept through their savage faces and noticed that almost each and every one of them had blood smeared across their mouths, blood trails running from their lips down past their necks, where they disappeared underneath the clothes they were clad in. Some were bleeding themselves, the dark crimson seeping through their clothing or dripping down onto the cement, though they didn't seem to care at all. Some looked completely wild—Level E vampires—while others seemed calmer, though ten times more menacing. Level D and Level C vampires were mixed in; the fact that there were more sensible vampires present was almost intimidating. It was one thing to hunt a few vampires that lost their sanity and couldn't think of any decent strategies—it was another thing to fight over five intelligent vampires that were perfectly adept at fighting back tactfully.

My body was tense as I drew closer, my hands pushing up the sleeves of my coat and hoodie up to my elbows so that I wouldn't have to do it later if this resulted in a fight. And from the look on their faces, I had no doubt that things weren't going to be pretty at all.

Stopping a few feet from the gate, I stared at who seemed to be the leader of the large group. She was a female that, instead of looking hungry and completely wild, looked rather serene and kind. Her wide, glowing ruby eyes shone with a dangerous intent though, and her lips slanted up over her teeth to show her wide, threatening canines.

With my heart pounding hard in my chest, I tried to be as calm as I possibly could in this situation. "Is there a reason why so many of you have gathered at the gates of Cross Academy?" My eyes looked pointedly at their clothes and I added, "Especially with such attires?"

The leading woman had her hair cropped at her ears, and I had a feeling she was a Level C from the way she carried herself. While her voice was sleek and divine, inklings of her sadistic nature seeped through and spotted her tone. "We have a proposition."

"And that is?" I stared at her steadily, my guard up. My senses were heightened to a nearly impossible point so that I would be able to react as fast as possible to any movements.

"Would you kindly allow us onto Cross Academy grounds?" she questioned, her canines flashing a bit each time she spoke.

"I can't," I told her straightforwardly. "You have no business here."

"Of course we do," she denied. Her wide smile made her look like she was trying to intimidate her prey. "We'd love to see the human students here."

My eyes narrowed at her. "That can't happen. What you intend to do with those students is very clear. Please leave."

"And go back to town?" She blinked her wide eyes the colour of brilliant blood at me. "But the fights there for human blood are much fiercer."

I almost choked at what she had said—was it true? If so many vampires were attacking the town, how many humans had already lost their lives? How were the hunters dealing with the rampage? I didn't want to believe it, yet looking at their red-stained clothing that smelt of fresh human blood, I couldn't see an alternative to what she had said.

The fact that they had broken the law of never killing a human to feed, however, allowed me to not hold back. I didn't have to worry about breaking any laws the Association had when it came to hunting vampires.

Breaking off the charm from my bracelet, I let Rixelvelt form swiftly in my hands. "I can't let you pass."

"That's too bad," she murmured. "But I think that it'll be fun if we get a taste of you. We'll finish you off quickly and then get going."

"Don't you _dare _break down the gat—" My words were drowned out by the sound of screeching metal as the woman gripped at the black iron gate and forcefully pushed the bars aside to create a space for her to move through. The other vampires followed her lead, bending the metal to step onto school grounds. I almost wanted to curse at Kaien for not placing wards to keep vampires out of the academy if they weren't tamed, but I couldn't think of such things now.

It was sad to think that they had destroyed the grand, majestic gate of Cross Academy that Kaien had seemed to love so much.

For the next few moments, all that could be heard were lots of hissing, profanities, and clashes as metal slammed up against metal. The sounds of our feet sliding along the pavement due to our quick, almost abrupt, movements also resounded, followed by the sound of our clothes flapping from the wind due to the strength of our attacks.

It was indeed much more difficult to kill a Level D or a Level C than to kill a Level E, which was why I had decapitated all of the ex-human vampires easily. They were careless and weren't rational—all they wanted was blood, and they acted based on their lust for it. It made their attacks desperate and easy to read as well as follow. Unfortunately, there hadn't been many Level Es, which worked as my disadvantage.

Ducking to avoid one of the more level-headed vampires, my eyes narrowed as I saw another one's claws going straight for my face. Putting my strength into my legs, I jumped out of the way, only to be snatched out of the air by another one of them. His grip on me was so tight, I could practically hear my bones groaning in protest despite being ten times stronger than a normal human's. Still in mid-air, the vampire threw me with ferocious force towards the pavement in hopes that I wouldn't be able to stop the crash landing in time.

However, as my adrenaline raced through me, I shot a hand out in front of me, using the momentum of the throw to help me cartwheel closer to an unsuspecting Level D just as I swiped at him with Rixelvelt. I had barely gotten my feet on the ground again when a sharp pain exploded along my back as a vampire's claws ripped through my trench coat and my hoodie, their sharp nails cutting into my flesh. My head whipped around to see who it was, and I was met with the sickeningly sweet smile of the leader.

Stepping forward quickly to detach her claws from my flesh, I swung my scythe down at her as hastily as I could, but she managed to dodge it, licking my blood off of her fingers with a delicately satisfied smile. As I tried to decapitate her once more, Rixelvelt was met by another pair of claws that belonged to a different vampire, the force of our attacks forcing the other to skid back a few feet.

I could feel the warm liquid leaking out of the wounds she had created along my back, the blood flowing down my skin and soaking into my clothes. It hurt, but a regular vampire wound—even more so from someone below the level of an aristocrat—couldn't compare to a wound that a hunter's weapon caused. The pain that was caused by anti-vampire artillery was on an entirely different level, which was why I was able to bear with the pain of a normal injury. Not to mention the fact that vampires healed quickly, though aristocrats and Purebloods healed on much faster levels.

"Your blood," the lady drawled alluringly, "tastes even more delicious than it smells. I'll definitely take your life, so I can take my time sucking every single drop of blood out of your body."

"You can try," I told her as I tilted Rixelvelt's head towards the ground and then slammed the sharp, pointed ends of her into the chin of the vampire that had tried to sneak up behind me. She let out a loud, ear-splitting shriek before I silenced her by shifting my weapon in my hands and beheading her with the smaller blade. "But you won't be successful."

She tsked, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Such arrogance..."

I gave her a sarcastic grin in response, stooping down to avoid the vampire that had attempted to tackle me, and then back-flipping away from another Level D. The sound of metal screaming against one another was heard as one of the Level C vampires blocked an attack with their claws, both of our hands trembling due to the force we were using in an attempt to overpower the other. We both decided to pull back, our feet sliding along the cement pavement.

Whirling around, I raised Rixelvelt up to block the claws that came slamming down on the shaft, my eyes staring up to meet bloodthirsty red ones. A vampire dived at me from the side, and I managed to slam a kick at his face before he got to me. I could hear someone coming up from behind me, and I attempted to retreat from the one who had tried attacking me from above, only to find that she had wrapped her hands around the shaft of Rixelvelt, even though it was refusing her profusely. She was wincing and panting in pain as Rixelvelt violently objected her touch. Steam rose from her palms as Rixelvelt continued trying to burn her to the point where she'd let go.

Unfortunately, although she _did _let go, it was just a second too late. I felt an arm wrapping tightly around my waist, restraining both my arms, while the other arm wrapped diagonally upwards so that the hand rested on my face. The tips of their jagged claws dug into the skin of my cheek, although not quite breaking the skin yet. Before I could do anything, a pair of fangs pierced through my neck, the pain making me intake sharply. I had never found letting someone feed directly off your body as something that was intimate, but I had never found it to be as revolting as I did now. It wasn't as if being bitten bothered me—the pain eventually dulled, but the thing that was the worst was the fact that as your blood drained, you got weaker.

And that was something that I couldn't afford at the moment.

Not caring if his fangs only ripped at my neck more, I slammed my foot down as hard as I could on his toes, the action shocking him enough for him to loosen his grip on me just slightly. However, that was all I needed in order to gather enough momentum to pull my arm forward and then slam my elbow into his ribs. Cracking could be heard as a few of his ribs broke, but the claws he had placed on my face had, due to the pain that he experienced, broken through the skin and raked down to my jaw. I couldn't help but flinch, feeling the blood rapidly fall from the side of my face. Droplets splattered along the pavement, and I could feel the blood seeping through the punctures of the bite wound as well. Before I could cut the vampire's head off, a comrade of his quickly took him away so that the tip of Rixelvelt's main blade slammed into the cement rather than his head.

My vision blurred slightly, a lightheaded feeling entering my system. Shaking my head, I didn't hesitate to slap myself roughly on the face, my hand connecting with where I had gotten raked in the face. The abrupt, immense pain had me jolting back with a more alert mind. Perhaps, since it had been so long since I had gotten bitten by anyone, I had forgotten just how fast and just how much blood was sucked by the other party. It felt like he had consumed so little, yet I knew that the only reason my body was feeling so dizzy was because of the profound amount of blood lost.

It had been a long, long time since I had last felt like this due to lack of blood.

I somehow managed to kill off another one of the Level C vampires before a kick sent me flying into a tree. Even though I had jumped to avoid it, it had grazed me, and as I slammed against the rough bark of the tree, I heard the wood crack. Falling ungracefully to one knee on the floor, I gave a brief glance over my shoulder to see that the tree trunk had been broken halfway through, tipping over onto another large oak. I coughed up some blood from the blow, the crimson liquid splattering onto the floor. I didn't even want to know how badly it would've hurt if I had taken the full blow.

A vampire charged at me, and I forced myself to stand up on my feet, though I swayed unsteadily. I blinked hard, trying to prepare myself for the attack—I couldn't possibly lose here to these vampires. I still had things I needed to do in my life, and I sure as hell wouldn't let them touch any of the students here.

But I felt so dizzy, I wondered if I could make it.

I gripped Rixelvelt tighter in my hands, my stomach knotting anxiously, and was about to charge at the vampire, ready to swing down in an attempt to decapitate her, when a gunshot thundered through us.

The vampire that had been charging at me stared at me with wide, surprised eyes. A bright, medium-sized circle that held an intricate design that I had never seen before appeared right where she had been shot, which had been her temple. Without another sound, she crumbled to dust.

My head whipped toward the sound of four pairs of footsteps, and my eyes widened as I saw the four of them heading in our direction, their expressions grim yet so breathtaking. Out of the four of them, Kaien was at the very back. While he was still dressed in his usual tacky and homey clothing with his thin gold hair, which was beginning to wane in colour, tied up into a low ponytail, his eyes behind his spectacles were insanely fierce.

Kaito and Yagari stood with a few feet of space between them, neither of them looking amused. A cigarette hung off of Yagari's lips, and his cowboy hat was placed on top of his wavy onyx locks. His narrowed light azure eye swept over the scene, the rifle in his hands ready.

Kaito's hazel eyes were solemn and scowling, perfectly matching the look on his handsome face. His tawny hair seemed messier than usual, and he was still clad in his formal student-teacher clothing, though his tie was loosened. He held his gun in one hand, which was slung over his shoulder casually. His posture made it seem like it was no big deal even though everything about him said otherwise.

And last but not least, Zero was several feet ahead of the group of men, the jacket of his Day Class uniform unbuttoned and his tie was as sloppy as always. His gun, Bloody Rose, was held in his steady hand that connected to a raised arm, telling me it had definitely been him that had shot—after all, I had seen Kaito and Yagari's weapon's mark, and it hadn't been the one that had killed the vampire. Zero's expression was something like a mix between controlled bloodlust and severe hatred. His lips were pressed together tightly and angled deeply downwards, his lavender eyes showing pain hidden beneath the loathing as he regarded the scene.

Even though I knew that it wasn't the time to be so delighted, I couldn't help the smile of both relief and happiness stretch across my face as I saw them. "Zero!"

"Get down," he ordered. "You're in my way." I blinked at him in bewilderment for a moment before doing as I was told, evading the bullet he shot just in time. It missed me by a hair's width, piercing the vampire that had leaped at me right between the eyes.

"Ivy, you idiot, don't let your guard do—" Kaito's words were cut off as I felt a vampire gripping onto my arm and hauling me upwards. I was about to voice aloud my complaint at how nobody had shot at her, but then I realized it was because she had been behind me and using me as a shield.

The leader didn't even bother being relatively nice as she sunk her canines into me as deeply and as painfully as she possibly could. Unable to help it, I let out a strangled sound that seemed to have been created from both the pain I felt as well as the annoyance. How many times had I gotten bitten in one day by these complete and utter strangers? It was such a disgraceful thing, it made me sick just thinking about it.

"Ivy!" Kaien exclaimed, sounding horrified.

The feeling of someone's fangs that I had never permitted to penetrate my skin and feed off of me—it angered me and revolted me so much. It made me feel so ashamed and so humiliated, and I didn't even want to know what _they'd _say if they found out about it. And what was worse was the sense of stark vulnerability I felt when being in such a situation. My hands clenched tighter around Rixelvelt, my eyes shutting. I could feel my body getting weaker and weaker as my blood continued to get drained by the woman as well as from the injuries I had sustained.

"No," I whispered. "No, no, no..." I hated this. I hated this. I _hated _this.

My mind continued to scream for it to stop. Just _stop_. It didn't even matter what I had to do anymore, all I wanted was to stop feeling so violated, so exposed to this person whom I had never wanted to share blood with, whom I had never considered as someone other than an enemy.

The sound of gunshots reverberated through all of us as Kaito, Zero, and Yagari tried to clean up against the remaining vampires, and while I couldn't see how they were faring, I knew that I didn't have to worry. The only thing that I had to focus on was her, because there was no way her companions would let the three of them get a clear shot of her.

Her arms were wrapped around me in what some people would view as a loving embrace, yet it was anything but. Oppressive, controlling, suffocating, her arms were wound around me as chains that kept me to her. Still clutching Rixelvelt tightly with my left hand, I reached up to clutch at one of her arms that restrained me.

"_Goddamn it," _I hissed. Quickly, before I ran out of all my strength, I gathered all the power I could and yanked on her arm. While her arm hadn't ripped completely off like I had wanted, her arm seemed to pop out of its socket. She jolted violently at the sudden pain, her fangs still not out from my vein. Yet, due to her temporarily useless arm, I was free to move. Curling my hand into a fist, I slammed it into her forehead, causing her head to crash back. Her fangs slid out of the holes she had created, and before she could recover herself, I had already swung Rixelvelt down.

Upon seeing the death of their leader, the remaining vampires seemed to take it as a sign of retreat. They began to move back, though the three gun-users seemed to be completely against that idea as they followed the vampires, their guns firing with deadly accuracy. Different colours of bright lights glowed every single time their bullets shot through a vampire, and I had yet to see one of them miss their target.

Stabbing Rixelvelt's hooked end into the ground, I gripped her so tightly that my knuckles were turning white. I knew that I probably wouldn't be able to stand without using her as a support, as I could already feeling my shaking legs preparing to give out underneath me. My vision was extremely blurry, the adrenaline in my system still running strongly through my body. I could feel my loud, almost deafening heartbeats in my ear.

Kaien appeared beside me, letting one of his warm hands rest on one of my quaking arms. When I glanced up at him, though the graveness was on his face, his eyes shone with concern and the upward slant of his lips was a soft, caring one that seemed reassuring. "Relax a bit, Ivy-chan. Let us take you to the infirmary—I need to check and tend to your wounds."

I wanted to ask him if he was out of his mind. _Relax?_ I could hardly bring myself to see properly, let alone do something like _relax_. Before I could even open my mouth to respond, my knees gave out underneath me, and they would've slammed against the concrete if the wise, legendary hunter hadn't caught me.

"Perhaps it's easier this way," he murmured softly, almost as if he was speaking to himself. He scooped me up into his arms, carrying me bridal style. Turning his back to the trio of male hunters that were still shooting at the retreating vampires, he began a brisk walk towards the Day Class building that held the nurse's office.

"Kaien," I mumbled, trying to keep my eyes open. I didn't want to lose consciousness. Not yet.

"Hush," he chided softly, "don't speak. Are you able to hang on?"

Somehow, I found enough energy to bark out a laugh. "I'm not dying yet, but..."

"But?" he prompted gently, already nearing the building. His speed was incredible, and the smoothness of his stride made me feel at ease.

My eyes shut, a sense of drowsiness invading me. "But Zero..." I trailed off, wanting to sleep.

With a gentleness that was like a feather falling, Kaien's voice managed to hold a slight smile as he said, "Don't worry about something like that."

"I..." However, it was no good. Before I could finish my sentence or even attempt to continue staying awake, unconsciousness slapped me in the face and knocked me out without even a blink of an eye.

* * *

><p>A white ceiling was what greeted me the moment I woke up. My mind was foggy, and the first thing I was aware of was just how much pain I felt. It wasn't an overwhelming amount of pain, but it still hurt enough for me to be wary about how I moved my body.<p>

Blinking, I tried to get my vision to focus. Four familiar presences were in the room, their low voices speaking in murmurs. I had no doubt that they were discussing what had occurred earlier on, and I wanted to be part of the conversation.

Slowly, I began to push myself up into a sitting position. Upon seeing me move, Kaien rushed over quickly, his topaz eyes concerned. "Are you alright, Ivy-chan?"

"Just fine," I waved away his concern with a smile. Even if I told him that it hurt, there was nothing he could do about it anyways. "How long have I been asleep?"

"An hour and a half," Kaien answered, his lips still thin. "Are you absolutely positive that you're fine? If you need to, I will gladly let you suck my blood!" He pulled at the collar of the shirt he was wearing—I noticed that it was new and that he had changed—to show me his pale neck. He tilted his head farther to the side to expose more of it to me, his eyes closing almost as if he expected me to truly bite into him.

I had to smile at how hard Kaien tried to make me feel better. "Thanks, but I'm fine, Kaien."

He made a sound of disappointment, forcing himself out of the position he had been in. I looked around the room, taking notice of how Zero was leaning against the wall next to the window near the head of the bed, while Yagari lounged on a chair a bit farther away from the end of the bed so that he could prop his long legs on the foot railings. Kaito stood near the entrance of the room, his arms folded over his chest almost as if he was the guard.

Not seeing Rixelvelt anywhere, I hastily checked the bracelet that hung on my left wrist, more than just a little relieved to see that she was hanging there in her restricted form. I didn't know who, but one of them surely helped place her back onto my bracelet.

"Oi, you dumbass, are you done?" Yagari addressed Kaien. "We have important things to talk about."

"That's cruel, Toga-kun!" Kaien exclaimed, scowling cutely at the younger hunter. "You can't disregard Ivy-chan's welfare so easily! And besides, we must wait for our precious guests to arrive to inform us of the situation!"

"Precious guests?" I repeated, looking up at him in confusion.

"They're already here," Kaito pointed out lowly, his eyes darted over to the door he stood beside. Bemused, I tried to bring myself to become more aware of my surroundings. It took a while for me to be able to come out of the haziness that resided in my mind, but when I did, I realized that he was right. Three very familiar presences were making their way towards us, and I could feel an emotion bubbling up in my heart.

The door slid open a moment later, a ridiculously tall figure entering the room, followed by two shorter people. My heart thudded fiercely in my chest upon seeing them, my eyes sweeping over them almost as if I was trying to memorize all their features again.

Jojima Nao, with his relatively long and straight white hair tied into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck, stood towering over each and every single person in the room. Behind his spectacles, his brilliantly bright, sharp red eyes scanned over the room. Despite being so tall, he was pretty skinny, which was something that most people thought meant he was weak. It was the complete opposite, though—Nao was more than just strong despite his slender frame. He had an unapproachable aura that surrounded him like a cape to those that didn't know or understand him, but to those who did, his intimidation all but disappeared.

Looking like a child next to him, Urushiyama Junko stood timidly with her hands clasped together in front of her chest. Her silky tresses of light walnut hair fell to her mid-back, her straight bangs stopping just above her eyebrows. Her wide, doe-like hazel eyes were flecked with different shades of vividly pale emerald, the brown that circled her irises a rich and light shade of chocolate. Her face was composed of soft, delicate features that made her look like a porcelain doll.

Last, but not least, a tall and lean muscled male stood with his hands in the pockets of his opened black overcoat. His gently wavy, dark chocolate hair sat on his head, one side of his hair slicked back away from his face while the other remained untouched. Due to his hair being moved back, the studded earring that pierced into his earlobe was clearly seen. His side-swept bangs were slightly long, falling into one of his eyes, yet you could see very clearly through the few strands that he possessed eyes of the Tashiro family—one eye emerald and the other gold. However, Tashiro Satoshi's personality differed from what people immediately thought of upon seeing his delinquent-like appearance.

"Satoshi!" I exclaimed excitedly, happiness flooding through me. Before I even knew what I was doing, I had already left the bed I had been resting in.

Despite practically tackling him, Satoshi caught me easily in his arms, not even staggering back slightly even though I hadn't restrained myself as I had crashed into him. "You really shouldn't be out of bed, Ivy." His deep, gentle bass harmony had me hugging him tighter, and even though he had said something like that, his arms were tight, yet careful, as they pulled me closer to him.

"Ivy," Nao greeted in his cool, aloof satin-smooth voice.

"Are you alright, Ivy-chan?" Junko questioned worriedly, her naturally quiet, high soprano voice coated with concern.

Before I could even speak, Satoshi rested a hand on my head, ruffling my hair lightly as his eyes darted to the male that stood beside us and next to the door. Though quiet, Satoshi's voice was serious and almost threatening as he said lowly, "I told you to take care of her, Kaito."

"She's a handful," came Kaito's response. His hazel eyes met Satoshi's, none of their gazes faltering. They were both tense, causing a chain reaction within everyone else to stay quiet and merely observe the two men who, upon growing up with one another, became best friends. And it was _because _I had been around these two ever since I was young that I understood there would be no fighting between them.

Satoshi's eyes narrowed for a moment, his grip tightening on me even more, before his entire body relaxed and he let out a soft sigh. "Kaito, you're such a bastard."

"Sorry, Satoshi." Even though Kaito said it in an offhand manner, those who knew him well enough could hear the underlying sincerity that was there.

My older brother made a noncommittal sound, letting me go and putting space between us. His fingers skimmed over the bandage placed on my cheek with a touch as soft as a summer's breeze, his eyes trailing along with his fingers. They trailed down my neck until they reached the large band-aids placed on either side of where my neck met my shoulders, his eyes narrowing slightly. I could only watch him as his hands moved to my back, feeling the slight creases of the bandages that covered my back.

"How bad is it, Kaien?" he inquired softly.

"The scratches aren't deep enough to require stitches," Kaien began quietly, "but the fang punctures... It was clear that they did it as roughly as possible, and the way that Ivy got herself detached from them only made the wounds worse. Even though you entrusted your beloved sister to me—I'm so sorry, Satoshi-kun..."

"There's no need to apologize," Satoshi objected, his eyes darting down to meet mine affectionately. Bending down, he let his lips brush against my forehead before looking at me in the eyes. "You okay?"

I couldn't help but laugh a bit. Nodding, I beamed at him. "Yup!"

Satoshi's returned my smile with one of his own. Looking at Kaien again, he ruffled my hair once more and said, "As long as Ivy's fine, that's all that matters."

"Ivy." Nao's voice had me turning around, and his ruby red eyes met mine. He tapped his neck once, the solemn look never leaving his face. It was clear what he was asking me about, and my eyes were drawn to the large scars that tattooed his neck in a darker beige than his ivory skin tone. A depressed feeling entered me as I thought back to how he had gotten those scars that had been created from a vampire's claws.

Shaking my head, I smiled up at him, leaving Satoshi's side to hug the seemingly apathetic male. "It's fine. Thank you so much though, Nao. I'm glad to see you're doing well."

"What are you doing?" Nao protested coldly, though both Junko and I knew that he was just trying to cover up his embarrassment. "Don't touch me so intimately."

Junko giggled while I tried to stifle my laughter, tightening my hold on his waist for a moment before beaming up at him and whirling around to the girl that was only one year younger than I was. She blinked her wide eyes at me for a moment before a soft, wide, and beautiful smile broke across her face.

My arms wrapped around her neck while hers went underneath my arms, her hands clasping onto the back of my shoulders. She smelt amazing like always, though her scent was something that I couldn't identify. It was a fragrance that was distinctly Junko—something that was a mix between cinnamon, vanilla, and brown sugar.

"I'm very happy to see you, Ivy-chan," Junko told me, her voice holding a tone of shyness in it that never seemed to fade.

"I'm glad to see you too, Junko," I told her with a grin. "It's been a long time."

"It has," she agreed. "We have much to catch up on, so I hope that you will have time to speak with me soon."

As we broke our embrace apart, I nodded at her enthusiastically. "Of course!" Her response to my answer was a magnificent smile that almost had _my _heart stopping because of how cute she was.

"Well," Yagari leaned back on the hind legs of his chair, "since everyone's here, and the pleasantries are _finally _over, let's start." His eye swept over to Satoshi. "What's going on?"

"Right. Well, towns all around the area have been experiencing violent vampire attacks," Satoshi began somberly after flicking me an apologetic glance. "There's been no provocation from either the Association _or _from humans. We had been thinking something was wrong for a while now, but we never would've imagined something like this. An event like this is something that hasn't happened for at least a decade."

"'An event like this'?" Kaito repeated, leaning against the wall once more. His legs were crossed at the ankles, his clothes loosened though still the same as I had seen earlier when they had come to help me.

"A rebellion," Nao informed the younger hunter in an icy voice.

Yagari's eye narrowed sharply, his chair clattering back to stand on all four legs. "It's already classified as that?"

"The Association feels that it is nothing less than that," Junko answered softly, fiddling with her petite, thin fingers. "But also nothing more."

"But a rebellion is extremely serious!" I exclaimed. I had been too young back them to fully grasp the circumstances when the last rebellion broke out, but that didn't mean I wasn't aware of the seriousness the situation presented. "The fact that the Association is already calling it something so huge even though it hasn't even been a day yet means that the situation is even direr than we originally thought."

Kaien's face seemed more than just merely troubled. "I certainly hope not... None of the details were given over the phone, so perhaps now you can fully inform us of what has taken place."

"We don't even know where to start." Satoshi heaved a heavy, quiet sigh. Looking down at me, he lightly inclined his head back to the bed I had been resting in. With his large, warm hand lightly resting against my lower back, he prompted me over to the bed I had been sleeping in earlier. And although I was already seventeen, he still helped me wrap the blanket around my body like a cape, before continuing on, "It started not too much earlier than noon. Everyone in the Association's headquarters felt it—our senses were prickly and heightened with the sudden, steady approach of what seemed like a group of vampires."

"Since the vampires seemed to have disappeared for the past few days," Junko stared at the floor, "we thought that perhaps they were returning and we sent a small group of hunters to see what was happening, but..."

"It was a foolish mistake." Nao picked up where Junko had let her sentence trail off, his tall and lanky body stiff with unease. "Needless to say, the vampires went on a blood craze. They had no regard for whether or not they killed the humans they were drinking from or not."

Satoshi sat down next to me on the bed, pulling me over close to his side and resting a hand on my head in what seemed like a reassuring, comforting gesture. His strong eyes were stable as he made eye contact with everyone that looked at him as he spoke. "We were concerned as to why some seemed to have dried, old blood on their clothing, and we decided to send some parties out to neighbouring towns. It was lucky we did—many towns experienced the same kind of ambush. It wasn't as if it was difficult for us to handle, considering our numbers, but that's what's bothering everyone back at Headquarters."

"What do you mean?" Zero's voice sounded through the room for the very first time since the trio had arrived, his previously silent voice jolting everyone slightly. I was sure that surprised rippled through everyone for a second before we all regained ourselves, though all our heads had snapped towards the silver-haired hunter as fast as the wind. He had his hands stuffed in the pockets of his Day Class pants, his slightly narrowed pale violet eyes meeting Satoshi's unflinchingly.

There was a small smile on Satoshi's face as he regarded Zero, the corner of his lips tilting upwards slightly as his topaz and emerald orbs met the silver-haired male's amethyst ones. "The groups that attacked the towns were groups of ten or less, but that can't be all the vampires that there are in the rebellion. After all, almost all the vampires in the surrounding area disappeared, which leads us to the conclusion that what occurred today was only a test run."

"We believe that a bigger invasion will take place later tonight or tomorrow afternoon," Nao reported. "Not only at the town that holds Headquarters, but every other place near it as well. That includes Cross Academy."

"Then the reason you're here..." I trailed off, my eyes darting between the trio of familiar faces that had entered not too long ago.

Satoshi turned his head to look at me. "Yeah. We're here to help protect Cross Academy."

"All the hunters had been divided into groups," Junko notified us. "The number of lives at stake and the abilities of the hunters were taken into consideration... And the three of us were sent here to help with the attack that will take place here."

A flash of worry exploded in my system, and I couldn't help but grip at Satoshi's sleeve, blurting out, "What about Lydia, Satoshi? And Trance? Is Arashi okay?" The mere thought that any of my siblings could've been harmed in the unexpected assault had my heart thumping uneasily in my chest.

The twenty-two year old Tashiro hunter let his lips quirk up into a soft smile. His eyes met mine tenderly, and I felt a calmness wash over me. Since Satoshi was always so gentle and so serene, he had an aura of tranquility that embraced him, as well as those around him. "Everyone's fine. Lydia and Trance were both sent to different towns, and Arashi is at Headquarters."

"Headquarters?" I repeated, staring up at my older brother. A sound of dumbfounded incredulity etched itself onto my face. "Who's taking care of Arashi if none of us are there?"

"Cheryl-chan and Al-kun are stationed at Headquarters," Junko intercepted our conversation. When my wide eyes snapped up to her, she smiled at me.

Unable to help it, I burst out, "Cheryl and Al?" Excitement painted my voice, my heart swelling at the name of the two last EX5 members. I didn't think I'd see them again for quite a while, but it seemed that they really weren't as far as I had thought.

"They had the same expression on their faces when we heard earlier that you've been here at Cross Academy for the past few weeks," Junko said with a small, tinkling laugh that sounded like wind chimes. "They're very excited to see you."

"I haven't seen them in so long!" My grin was wide as I recalled memories of the two foreigners. "Though I wonder if it's alright to let Al and Cheryl take care of Arashi... Knowing those two, I feel like he won't get any sleep due to their quarreling."

Nao's eyes met mine, his expression unchanging. "What are you saying? You're going to be heading back to Headquarters, Ivy."

Stunned, all I could do was stare at the oldest person in EX5 in a way that almost seemed uncomprehending. His words didn't register fully in my brain for a second as I stuttered, "W-What?"

"You heard me." Looking at him, I wondered if he knew how his words caused turmoil to rise up inside me. I mean, it wasn't as if I didn't want to see Cheryl and Al—on the other hand, I was more than just excited to reunite with the last two people of my second family—but how was it that I was going to be sent back to Headquarters when I had a job to do here, at Cross Academy? As a student that attended this school, I should also take part in protecting it from danger, so why was I being sent away?

A light tap on my head had me looking back at Satoshi again, my expression showing the slight haze of dazed confusion I felt. "Satoshi, _what_—?"

"We wouldn't need to be here if it meant some of you guys weren't being sent somewhere else," Satoshi pointed out to me kindly. "It was decided back at Headquarters that you, Kaito, and also Zero-san would be heading back there to defend it." His eyes darted to each figure as he said their names.

"Why?" My eyebrows furrowed as I looked at him. I didn't understand why we were being sent back while having others take our place—was it because they felt we weren't competent enough to defend Cross Academy?

"It's because they want to see how the candidates for the position as the future President can fare," Nao replied flatly, bluntly. His voice was covered in ice, though he managed to sound matter-of-fact.

"N-Nao-kun," Junko protested, a slightly appalled tone in her voice. Turning to me, her large hazel eyes darted between Zero and I. "A-Actually, it's just that since the town is so large with so many buildings and small alleyways, it'd be best if we had hunters that were adept in close-range fighting, which is why Ivy-chan, Cheryl-chan, and Al-kun are there. While Takamiya-san and Kiriyuu-san aren't exactly close-range, they aren't necessarily long-range like Mana-san is. It's also because you three seem to know your way around the town well. It's harder for shooters to get a good shot when there are so many places to hide."

Zero's eyes were narrowed into such a fierce glare as he looked at Junko that she flinched under his outwardly harsh eyes. Upon seeing her reaction, his lips tightened slightly and tugged down a fraction more before he turned his head away, dropping his eyes down to the floor. "That's not it. You want us there because it's most likely that the biggest ambush will arise at the town that holds the base of enemy territory, which is the town that holds Headquarters. Sent out to the front lines..." Zero trailed off before he let out a second's worth of a breathy and humourless chuckle, followed by a sigh.

"Kiriyuu-kun?" Kaien asked timidly, reaching a hand out in a way that suggested he wanted to place it onto the younger man's shoulder, only to retreat it back as he thought better of it.

Tipping his head back to rest against the wall, Zero let his lavender eyes slid down from the ceiling to rest on the headmaster of the academy, his glower gone and replaced with a neutral expression that was tainted with something else. "It's fine by me. Let the vampires come."

As our eyes accidentally met, lavender clashed with lemon and lime, and I couldn't help but stare, slightly entranced by his eyes, before averting my gaze as I caught sight of the look that was in his. It was a look that seemed almost desperate to kill—the _need _that seemed to try and hide itself...

He was slipping.

And as I realized this, my heart clenched in my chest painfully. Diluted violet eyes that were so similar to his, longer strands of silver hair, a kind smile on similar-shaped lips, words spoken with a voice that sounded the same, yet also slightly different... Those images seemed to double, slight distinction between the two faces, though much younger, and then they turned into something else entirely.

The only word that my mind could scream out as a very simple, very common phrase, but it seemed to mean more than a thousand words.  
><em><br>No._

"Will arrangements need to be made since Ivy's injured?" Kaito inquired, his eyes lingering on me for a moment before darting back to meet his best friend's.

Before Satoshi could even respond, I shook my head rapidly and interrupted, "I'll be fine like this. Since vampires heal a lot faster than humans, I'll definitely be okay before the next ambush. There's no need to ask for another hunter to come."

Everyone knew that there was no way that my cells would be able to reproduce fast enough to leave me in my one hundred percent zone in just a few mere hours, vampire regenerative abilities or not.

"Ivy—"

"_Really_, Satoshi," I insisted as I met his eyes. Concern was prancing around in his, while determination was set in mine. My expression was undoubtedly stubborn, and his features were rearranged into a thoughtful, but discontented one.

Giving in like he always did due to his believing nature, Satoshi let out a soft sigh. "Alright."

"Oi, Satoshi." Yagari raised an eyebrow. "Is it really okay if you let her go without sending an extra person to take care of her?"

"I don't need taking care of," I objected instantly in a mumble, shooting a somewhat indignant scowl at the wavy-haired hunter. However, even though Kaito had said the same thing before, when Yagari said it, it didn't irritate me nearly as much as when Kaito had. I suspected it was simply because Kaito was, like Satoshi, only five years older than I was, while Yagari was over a decade older. It made me feel like he wasn't actually mocking me, but that he was just acting like an adult would, whereas Kaito gave off the impression that he was just having fun teasing me.

Satoshi glanced down at me for a moment before his lips twisted up at the corners. "Ivy said it's alright, so I believe her."

"If that's the case, then..." Nao muttered under his breath almost inaudibly. Pushing his glasses further up his nose, the white-haired hunter said in his regular volume, "Ask Al."

My eyebrows shot up a bit, my eyes widening in confusion. Blinking at the twenty-six year old vampire, I questioned in a puzzled tone, "Ask Al what?"

The way Nao's eyes narrowed at me in a meaningful way had the reason slamming into me with a ferocious force. I opened and closed my mouth, surprised that he was telling me to do such a thing when I had already told him that I wasn't in need of it.

Eventually, I managed to get out, "But I don't need it."

"Ask Al," he repeated. His voice and tone told me there was no room for discussion.

"Why Al?" My eyebrows furrowed together slightly. I didn't have a problem at all with the tall, rather muscular dark brunette hunter, but I was still curious as to why Nao specifically pointed him out.

Nao ignored me entirely. "Anything else?"

I wanted to make press the issue a bit more, but the look Junko gave me had me biting my tongue.

Silence hung between all of us as we ran what was going to happen through our heads once more. I wondered briefly if there were any other hunters that would be staying at Headquarters, but I didn't want to ask about that. After all, I'd find out soon enough the moment I was within range to smell their scents. I wasn't exactly worried about the vampires getting into the building, since the wards that were set up around the vast structure were all very strong, but it made me uneasy to know that vampires would deliberately try to break in. It was something that I had never seen before.

I wondered if Lydia and Trance would be alright. I didn't doubt their abilities when it came to hunting—Lydia, while loud, wild, and impulsive, was serious when the situation called for it and was more than just merely frightening. She was the oldest Tashiro sibling, standing at twenty-five years old, and she had the most experience in battle. Although Trance was only fourteen, he was a prodigy when it came to this area. Hardly any hunters could pass the official exams while fourteen, yet Trance had gotten perfect scores on every section of the exam while he was only twelve. He was a fearsome fellow that would be underestimated by the enemy, and while it was definitely annoying, it worked to his advantage more often than not.

The knowledge that a large scale attack would be taking place in the very near future made me feel anxious. The problem wasn't that I had no confidence in my fellow hunters, but it was the fact that we had no idea what the other party was capable of. Sure, there were quite a few hunters, but there were also many vampires. We didn't know what they were truly after, and we didn't know what they could be hiding up their sleeves.

Thinking about this, an idea slammed into me. Snapping my eyes to meet Satoshi's, I said, "There's going to more vampires than earlier today, but there's only going to be four of you guys to fight them off if Zero, Kaito, and I leave. Are you sure that's going to be okay?"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that at all, Ivy-chan!" Kaien came over and fussed around with the blanket I had wrapped around me, though it was perfectly fine. "All you need to do is get better quickly, because if you don't, I won't know what to do!" His eyes started glazing over with unshed tears.

"How can I not worry when everyone's putting their life on the line?" I stared up at Kaien with my lips pressed together tightly. He looked somewhat startled at my response, but I didn't like how everyone seemed to think that I was still a child. It was true that I had missed out a lot because of what had taken place after the incident five years ago, but that didn't mean I was completely naive.

"Ivy-chan..." Kaien's sentence trailed off as he blinked his honey eyes at me.

The door slid open before the headmaster could continue on with our conversation, causing everyone to look to see who had entered. I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I hadn't even sensed anyone approaching, and I made a surprised noise as I took in the four figures that stood at the door.

Ichijou blinked his olive eyes as they rested on me. "Ivy-chan, are you alright?"

"Just fine," I reassured him. A grin was on my face as I waved at them, trying hard to stop my racing heart. "Good afternoon, Ichijou, Shiki, Aidou. It's also good to see you as well, Yuuki." I only let my eyes be captivated by hers for just a brief moment before looking away.

The maroon-haired model let his perfectly indifferent eyes sweep over me. "So the reason for the blood earlier was because of your wounds..." Even though he didn't say it, I could hear what he wanted to say after it so clearly; _and not one of your illness attacks._

"Pathetic, if you ask me," Aidou uttered under his breath.

"Aidou-senpai," Yuuki chided instantly. She turned her gaze towards me, her glossy hair just a curtain of dark chocolate silk. "Are you sure that you're fine?"

Waving a hand in front of my face, I tried to smile. "Yeah. Thanks a lot for your concern."

"I'm really sorry, Tashiro-san," Yuuki murmured in a sigh. There was a sad look on her face as she stared at me, the sincerity evident in every fibre of her being. "If only we had been more alert, this situation never would've happened."

I brushed off her apology. "It's fine, Yuuki, really. It's not anyone's fault." My eyes shifted over to the hunter who, in my eyes, wore his heart on his sleeve. He was watching her with his careful lilac eyes, his expression still how it always was. Yet the tenderness in his orbs was something that couldn't be denied, and it made me want to crawl into a hole and disappear.

How was I supposed to do it?

"You see, Ivy-chan," Kaien turned to me with a smile, "the thing is that my adorable Night Class students will be lending a hand in defending Cross Academy! That is why there's no need to worry about anything, because my beloved, cute students are definitely going to do their best!"

"I hope that we all get along." Yuuki's lips tilted upwards slightly at the end as she bowed. The three males behind her followed her actions—Aidou looked amazingly reluctant—and they straightened out altogether. "Please take care of us."

"Us as well," Satoshi replied in his quiet, steady harmony. He didn't stand up as he bowed, and Junko followed his action. Nao, however, stood defiantly and proudly straight. His expression seemed to be colder than usual as he regarded the four members of the Night Class, his posture tense. He stared at them with a wary look in his eyes, and it was something that didn't escape our minds.

And perhaps it was because I, like Kaito had mentioned before, had grown an attachment to some of the students of the Night Class that I found myself uttering out in an almost reprimanding tone, "Nao."

His eyes slid over to meet mine, his lips pressed together. Even as he looked at me, the iciness that coated his ruby eyes didn't fade. The way he was so taut in the way he stood and the way he had some sort of expectant look lingering along his features indicated that he was thinking I'd make a big fuss and get angry at him for treating them coldly.

Which was why my lips pulled up into an encouraging smile as I looked at him. "Please get along well with everyone, okay?"

His eyes stayed locked with mine for another moment before he dropped them, turning his head away. "Shut up, Ivy." The bite was in his voice, but since I knew him so well, I knew that he was just being himself. It was his way of stating his half-agreement.

"So the vampires will also be helping out in this..." Yagari mused aloud, letting out a soft sigh as his eye fell shut. "We should think of a strategy."

"Yes, that's probably for the best," Yuuki agreed in her calm, soothing voice.

"Satoshi-kun, when should Kaito-kun, Ivy-chan, and Zero-kun leave for town? Is there any specific time?" Kaien inquired my older brother.

"The sooner the better, considering they'll have to form their own plan of defense with the remaining hunters over there. And besides," Satoshi chuckled softly, "Al went around complaining about not seeing you in too long earlier today. He was making a big fuss about it, and Cheryl wasn't pleased in the least. Arashi has been asking for you as well, Ivy."

"It got to the point where Cheryl-chan nearly strangled Al-kun to death," Junko told me with a smile. "They're excited to see you."

A soft smile was on my face. "Me too."

"Then the faster you get out, the better," Yagari responded. "With you three here, we can't properly formulate our plans, so go already if you really want to see them so much."

"You're so eager to get rid of us, Yagari," I commented, rolling my eyes with a smile. Removing myself from the bed, I looked around the room, spotting my trench coat folded at the foot of the bed. I unfolded it, surprised to see that the rips in it had been mended. "Who...?"

"Kaien did it," Yagari informed me casually.

Turning to look at the chairman of the school, I smiled at him as I slipped the coat on. "Thank you so much."

"You don't need to thank me, Ivy-chan! After all, it's such a beautiful coat. I couldn't possibly let your coat remain the way it was!" He looked like he wanted to cry as he placed his hands on my shoulders.

"T-Thank you?" I stammered out. It was supposed to come out as a statement, but I had turned it into a question instead.

"Are you sure you want to go like that, Ivy?" Kaito questioned. At my confused look, he elaborated, "Your clothes are all torn. How about changing?"

"I agree with Takamiya-san on this, Ivy-chan," Ichijou piped. "If you show up in town like that, I think that it'll frighten a lot of the remaining residents."

"You look horrible," Shiki voiced aloud his opinion dully.

"You look even _worse_ than horrible, Tashiro," Aidou retorted. Despite the time that had passed, our relationship still hadn't gotten much better. Although admittedly, I hadn't gotten closer to any of the Night Class vampires aside from Ichijou, Shiki, and Rima. Maria often joined our conversations, but I wouldn't say that she and I were _close_. She still gave me an immensely uneasy feeling.

Yuuki shot the two vampires a look. "Please refrain from—"

"It's fine," I cut her off, grinning sheepishly. "I probably _do_look pretty bad. Alright, I'll go back to the dorm and clean myself up. Since I want to shower, can you give me twenty minutes?" I might as well, considering I would be changing anyways.

Kaito let out a soft sigh. "Yeah, yeah, just go already. We'll meet you at the main entrance in thirty minutes."

Satoshi smiled at me slightly. "We'll see you off at that time."

Nodding, I returned his smile and began heading towards the door. The people that stood there moved out of my way so that I could pass, and since I knew that I'd be seeing them shortly, I didn't say any of my farewells.

Shutting the door behind me, my footsteps began to carry me towards the exit, but not before I could hear her quiet voice murmuring her concern.  
>My eyes shut, and I heaved a sigh as I dragged my hands down my face.<p>

What was I supposed to do?

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><p><strong>AN:**

This chapter was so longgggggggg. HAHA, I hoped that you guys liked it! I didn't actually plan for it to turn out so long, but it did. I guess that it worked out somehow? (:

SO? SO? WHAT DID YOU GUYS THINK OF SATOSHI? ;D AND OF NAO AND JUNKO? ;D ;D ;D Sorry, I'm getting excited just thinking about that. HAHA. I had so much fun writing about then, holy. My fingers were flying across my keyboard the moment I got past the horrible fight scenes. OTL.

Sorry about any grammar mistakes, spelling errors, OOCness, and for making your eyes burn from reading my terrible fight scenes.

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**Shadow of a Broken Angel, Yamai-san, TheSneakyHobo, Jade Starlight, Youknowwhothisis, x3sYellowie, Azura Soul Reaver, AliceMarieSwan, and ilovebrownies**

Thank you so much for you amazing reviews! They made me really happy. HAHA. You guys are awesome!

Also, I'd like to thank all of you who alerted and favourited as well! (:

RESPONSE TIME!

To **Yamai-san**;

I'm glad that you loved the previous chapter! And, well, I had no idea what a request was until you explained it to me. No worries, you made perfect sense. HAHA. I understand what you mean. But for the "Do you take request questions", I'm still kind of debating about it. I feel like if you give me your OC to write about, I'd completely butcher her because she isn't my character and I don't know her that well. And I'm a real people-pleaser, so I'm always worried about not being able to write it the way you want me to. Do you mind letting me think about it a bit more? OTL. I'm sorry it's taking me so long. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

To **Jade Starlight**;

ASDFGHJKL. Thank you so much for your amazing compliment! I'm so touched that you think that I've got the whole Vampire Knight world down; it's really flattering. HAHA. You have absolutely _no_idea how glad I am that you love Ivy. I'm always worried about people hating her because she seems Mary-Sue-like simply due to the fact that she's nice and all, but ANYWAYS. Ivy's past will be revealed in upcoming chapters, so I hope you look forward to it! Thank you so much for reading this fanfic, and I hope that you liked this chapter as well! (:

Mm, well, that's basically it for this chapter!

Once again, thanks so much to those of you who take the time to send me a review to let me know your thoughts on the chapter. Much appreciated! (:

I'd love to hear your thoughts, feelings, and opinions for this chapter as well! So feel free to send me a review or PM telling me what you thought of the chapter! I don't bite, I swear. (:

I'M SO EXCITED BECAUSE CHERYL AND AL WILL BE INTRODUCED NEXT CHAPTER. AHMYGOSH. I'm dying here. LOL.

I'm curious about who you guys like the best out of the all the OCs I've introduced so far except for Ivy. And I do this on Shitsuren, my other fanfic, but I haven't done it on this fanfic yet. I feel like I should start it here too, so I will. And that's going to be a question that I want to know your answers to! For those of you who already know me, then this should be familiar. HAHA. To those who don't, I'm just going to be asking you a question at the end of each chapter, and you can choose whether or not to respond to it in a review or not ( though I'd prefer you did since I really want to know ).

**QUESTION: ****Which OC, aside from Ivy, do you like the best and why? ( Satoshi, Kenta, Nao, and Junko )**

Yuppp. So tell me your thoughts in a review or a PM! I'm really looking forward to it, you guys! And I hope you guys are excited to read about Cheryl and Al next chapter as well! (:

Like it? Love it? Hate it? Tell me!

I hope to update and speak with you guys soon!

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	9. Heroes in Disguise

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight or anything that you may, and some things that you may not, recognize. Vampire Knight belongs solely to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N:**

I'M BACK, GUYS! It's been, what, two weeks? Not too bad, eh? (; I usually take around a month to update, so I'm pretty proud that I'm beating that sort of pace right now, though I'm not sure how long it will last. For a long time, I'm hoping.

This chapter's so LONG. And I mean it. Eighteen pages in size eleven font? Over eleven thousand words? My fingers dying? Yes, yes, yes. All of 'em. But I had _a ton _of fun while writing this chapter, so I guess that's why it turned out so long. HAHA. I hope that you guys will enjoy reading this just as much as I loved writing it.

Heterochromia is nearing the 80s in review count, and do you know what that means? It's nearly the **_100s _**review count. And you know what _that _mean? It means a really happy author. (; [Understand my subtle hints, guys? LOL.] But in all honesty, it'd be amazing to reach the 100s, and I hope that we all reach it together, whether it be with this chapter or the next or the one after.

But I feel like I should stop wasting your time, so here! Chapter nine! AL AND CHERYL ARE INTRODUCEDDD. -coughs- Uh, yeah. Sit back, relax, and enjoy! (:

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><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER NINE;**

_"Heroes in Disguise"_

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><p>The car we were situated in was nearly silent as we let the driver take us down the road into town. Kaito had taken up shotgun before any of us could protest, which left Zero and I sitting in the back. I wondered if it was uncomfortable for the two of them, as the car wasn't incredibly spacious and they had such tall figures. Glancing to the side, I noticed that with his long legs, Zero's knees pressed up slightly against the back of the driver's seat.<p>

Shifting my gaze back out the window, I stared hard at the passing scenery. The sky was pretty dark now, but it was because the days were beginning to get much shorter since it was already winter. Thinking back on it, our farewells took quite a bit of time. There had been a lot of hugs, smiles, "take care"s, and also what seemed like an intimate moment between Zero and Yuuki. Plus, if you could include what had transpired between Kaito and Satoshi, it would be subtle threats on Satoshi's part and a wary, tired, and indignant acceptance on Kaito's side.

Excitement bubbled in my system while anxiety clawed at me from the inside. It had been a long time since I had seen Al and Cheryl, and I had no doubt that it'd be a lot of fun to be with them again. I had immensely missed holding Arashi and seeing his cute expressions as well, and I could only hope that Al wasn't doing anything strange and inappropriate with the youngest Tashiro sibling.

Since I had never been a fan of silences—and the fact that I was pretty restless already—I couldn't help but break the hush. It didn't matter what I spoke about, I just wanted to say something—anything—to stop the quietness from triumphing. So I said the thing that first popped up into my mind. "Do you think that they'll be okay back at the academy?"

"You don't?" Kaito retorted, his eyes trained ahead. "I thought that you had faith in them."

His response had my tongue tying up, and I couldn't do anything but remain silent. My facial expression contorted slightly, but then I soothed it out as quickly as it had come. I didn't know how to answer something like that—perhaps it would be better not to answer at all than to answer that honestly.

"I wonder how Lydia and Trance are doing," I murmured, switching the subject indiscreetly. Was it too much to hope for that neither one of them was really paying much attention to the conversation topic, or that both of them would let it slide?

Clearly, it was.

"Ivy." Kaito's face was reflected in the windshield in front of him. "What, you really actually don't believe in them?" There was some kind of edge to his voice, a thin layer of powered incredulity resting along his tone. "You should know just as well as I do how proficient they are."

"It's not a matter of believing in them or not, Kaito," I replied quietly as I leaned my head against the window's cool glass surface. I stared down at my feet as I continued, "Hunters always put their lives on the line. Sometimes even the most skilled are taken down in such simple ways—I've been taught that so many times."

Somehow, I felt like all I was doing was trying to cover up my thoughts on the subject even though every word I had spoken was true. It was clear to everyone that I was just evading a direct answer, but I didn't want to speak about it. Even if I did, it'd only bring about a heavy atmosphere between everyone, and I felt like our current situation with the rebellion was already upsetting enough. I didn't want to cause any more trouble to the two of them more than I previously had.

"Don't sulk," Zero sighed as his eyes slid over to glance at me.

"I'm not _sulking_," I denied in a mutter. "It's just—" I exhaled, not knowing what I was trying to get at. I hated it when my thoughts were just too complicated to be put into words, and I hated how words never seemed to be able to properly convey someone's thoughts. There were so many times where words simply just weren't _enough_.

At this point, I wasn't even sure what I wanted to say to them anymore. When I had asked that single question in what was almost an offhanded way, I hadn't suspected Kaito to respond in a way that would have me shutting up so quickly. It wasn't his fault, since he wasn't aware of how I truly felt, but that didn't mean I felt no regret. If only I had mentioned something happier or something different, perhaps the air between us wouldn't seem so tense.

Shaking my head, I dropped that subject and picked up a new one. Turning to look at Zero, I recalled, "I don't think that any of them introduced themselves properly."

"Them?" he repeated, not knowing who I was speaking of.

"My brother and the two people from EX5," I specified. "It might be a little late and I'm sure that you've already figured it out, but I feel like I should formally introduce them to you anyways. The really, _really _tall guy is Jojima Nao. He's twenty-six and the oldest out of everyone in EX5. The girl you saw is Urushiyama Junko, the youngest at sixteen. And the last person, as I'm sure you already know, is the eldest male in the Tashiro family—Tashiro Satoshi, who's the same age as Kaito."

Zero didn't look like any of that information surprised him, but his eyebrows pulled together just slightly as he observed me. "She was sixteen?"

A small laugh escaped me as I nodded my head. Junko, while looking like a doll, had very child-like features. Although it was clear that she was stunningly beautiful, she somehow managed to look more _cute_ than _pretty_. "She gets that a lot."

"And you?"

"What do you mean?" I blinked at him, not quite understanding what he was asking me.

He let of a soft sigh. "What else?" When I continued looking at him in perplexity, he was just about to elaborate when Kaito cut him off.

"Ivy's seventeen, just a year younger than you." His eyes slid to the corners to catch a glimpse of us.

Realization hit me about what he had been asking. "Oh—yeah, I'm seventeen. It makes me the middle child of the Tashiro family, since Lydia's the oldest and Arashi's the youngest. Since Arashi will be at headquarters with us, I hope that you can get along well with him."

Kaito let out a sigh. "The questions he asks—he's still so innocent, yet I can't help but feel that Lydia is corrupting his pureness."

My eyebrows shot up to my hairline and I leaned forward in anticipation. "Wait, what do you mean? What does he ask you, Kaito?" Since I hadn't seen my siblings in so long, I no longer knew what has been happening in their lives. A heavy feeling was in my chest since it made me feel like I was so detached and excluded from my own family, yet I knew that it wasn't really right of me to feel this way.

"You don't need to know," Kaito responded, his tone sounding slightly tortured. "Just—the next time you see Lydia, tell her to back off of the shoujo manga she reads. And to stop reading them to the poor boy as bedtime stories."

"She _does _that?" Astonishment dyed my tone. I had always known that Lydia read manga like I did—it was one of the reasons why she and Cheryl were so close with one another—but I had no idea that she had been reading them to Arashi as bedtime stories. When I gave more thought to it though, I realized that I really shouldn't have been surprised at all if I took into consideration Lydia's personality. Even so, I still couldn't imagine a tucked-in Arashi snuggling up with Lydia as she showed and read her manga to him.

"You have no idea how often," Kaito sighed. There was twinge of exasperation lining the breath he exhaled, his eyes shutting in a blink for a couple seconds longer than usual.

"Doesn't Satoshi or Trance say anything?" I couldn't imagine neither one of my brothers saying anything about the situation. Satoshi was definitely a romantic, but I knew from personal experience that he didn't in particularly love manga, but preferred non-fiction novels. Trance held a strong abhorrence for anything romance-related, so it seemed so unbelievable that he'd let Lydia do as she wished.

Kaito inquired in a slightly deflated tone, "Who do you think is more likely to win the argument—Lydia or Satoshi?"

"... Lydia," I admitted with reluctance. While Satoshi was calm, pacifying, and more like a soft breeze on a summer's day, Lydia was boisterous, violent, and more like a volcano erupting lava than anything else. Since Satoshi never liked arguing, he usually gave in after a few minutes, not wanting to anger anyone more than he already had. It was rare to see Satoshi fighting wholeheartedly for what he believed in, given the fact that he wanted to keep everyone happy, and people were bound to get angry when opinions clashed.

"Exactly," the tawny-haired male replied. "And the other brat hasn't been around lately, so he can't do anything about Lydia's antics."

Blinking, my heart faltered a bit at what the twenty-two-year-old hunter said. "What do you mean? What's Trance been doing? Is he okay?" When Kaito's eyes met mine in the reflection of the windshield, I realized just how much desperation had been coating my voice. Clapping my hands over my mouth, I bit down hard on my tongue and pressed my lips firmly together.  
><em><br>Oh yeah... _my mind whispered. I didn't have the right to sound so panicky and so worried about him. Not anymore.

"He's fine, Ivy," Kaito reassured me in his deep voice as his eyes shifted away from me. "The kid's been sent to do some raids a bit farther away, which is why he hasn't been back until two days ago. Last time I saw him, he was the same as always—a cold and seemingly unfeeling twat."

Iciness seemed to wash over me at his words, a sense of disappointment and guilt blooming inside me. Becoming conscious of just how stiff I had gotten at the mention of my fourteen-year-old brother, I tried to relax my tensed body as I leaned back against the seat. So he hadn't changed at all, even though I had been gone? There was a pain in my chest and a voice in my head reminding me that this was what I deserved after what I had done to him. After all, nobody could deny that it was my fault.

Because the facts weren't lies; it had been my fault.

Letting out a soft, sad sigh, I murmured, "Is that so?" It had been a while since I had seen Trance, even more so than my other siblings. If I hadn't met Satoshi today, then I wouldn't have seen Lydia, Satoshi, and Arashi for three months. Yet, when it came to Trance, it had been at _least _five months since I had last laid my eyes on him. I wasn't going to rebuff the fact that I missed him to the point where my chest felt like it throbbed at the thought of him, but I also knew that perhaps it was better this way.

But even though I was aware of how useless it was of me to ask, I couldn't help but question, "Did... Did he say anything?" My stomach clenched into complicated knots as the words formed on my tongue and then left, my throat tightening slightly. My hands were clasped into tight fists in my lap, but I hardly noticed it.

I never asked Satoshi or Lydia about Trance, since they always looked so uncomfortable when I did. They gave off the impression that they really didn't want to speak of him when with me, and there had been numerous times where I had bothered them about it. It got to the point where Lydia blew up at me, very obviously frustrated and angry at my persistence. She had apologized afterward. But it was from that day on that I never inquired about Trance to my older siblings.

The reason they were like that seemed crystal clear to me now.

In a soft, but blunt tone, Kaito said, "No, he didn't."

Untangling, the ties in my stomach disappeared and my hands squeezed a bit tighter. Clenching my teeth together, I gritted out through a lump in my throat, "I see."

The car slowed to a stop just a minute later, resting idly in front of the enormous, grand, and beautiful building of the Association Headquarters in Japan. A few of the lights were still on, barely visible through the relatively thick curtains that hung down to obscure prying eyes. It hadn't been very long since I had last paid a visit here, but every time I came, none of the people I had wanted to see the most had been there. This time, upon knowing that people I desperately missed were inside, made me feel a bit nervous yet energized.

Unbuckling my seat-belt, I opened up the door before the chauffeur could get around to my side. I stepped out into the sweeping night air, a slight shiver running through me for a moment before it disappeared. As we opened up the trunk to take out our duffle bags—since we had no idea how long this rebellion would last, we had packed just the necessities and a few spare attires—it was impossible to miss the way Zero had been staring at me.

His divine light mauve eyes didn't regard me with anything even remotely similar to the soft, loving affection that they held when he laid his eyes on Yuuki, but he stared at me with slightly furrowed eyebrows. With his normal scowl etched onto his face, he gave me a look that made me feel as if he was trying to figure me out—like he saw me as some sort of puzzle that he didn't comprehend.

I wasn't sure if I _wanted _him to understand.

Grasping the handles of my duffle bags in front of me with both my hands, I smiled at the driver. "Thanks."

He shook his head and bowed his head with a gloved hand placed over his heart. "It's my absolute pleasure, Miss."

"We probably won't be going anywhere for a while, so it's fine if you head back to the academy," Kaito informed the grey-haired chauffeur.

"If that's so, then I shall be taking my leave now, Sir. Please call for me once you are finished with your business here." Staying in a bow for a little while longer before straightening himself out, he made his way back behind the steering wheel. We watched as the black car disappeared down the road in which we had come from before climbing the concrete steps that led up to the front door.

Reaching the door first, Kaito punched in the correct code that all legit hunters knew before taking out a key and then sliding the lock open. Sighing, he mumbled as he opened the door, "Let's get this over with as fast as possible."

"I hope we do," I agreed with a sigh, already knowing what he was referring to. Zero didn't understand what we were talking about, but he would be finding out soon enough. We had closed the door and reset the alarm, taking just a few steps further into the wide and open foyer of the building when a figure stomped purposely noticeably into the room.

"_Wha t_is up with what you're wearing?" With her lengthy, vividly gold princess-curled hair and brilliantly bright blue eyes, Cheryl Armstrong stood with her hands on her hips and an angry expression on her surreal face. As always, an aura of elegance and gracefulness engulfed her. Clad in a white wool sweater dress that clung to her body and showed off her feminine curves as well as her slender legs, Cheryl looked absolutely breathtaking. She was the same age as I was, though I was a month older. She gave off a vibe of royalty, everything about her suggesting that she really could be a secret princess from a foreign country.

I spoke in a sarcastic tone, though I was grinning as I pulled her into a hug. "I'm so hurt that I didn't even get a greeting from you even though it's been so long, Cheryl."

Her arms around me were tight, even as she scoffed. "You know I'm happy to see you, Ivy. It's been forever."

My lips twisted into a grin as we squeezed each other tighter for a brief second before pulling away. "It really has. What's been going on with you lately?"

"Oh, don't switch the subject." Her lips pursed as she looked at me, her eyes scanning me up and down. "I thought that you would've at least _tried _to dress a bit better for our reunion." Turning to Kaito, she glowered at him or a moment, but remained silent. It was her way of silently approving of what he had on.

The slight tension in Kaito's face relaxed when he realized he was safe.

Giving my outfit a fleeting look, I let out a laugh. "It's comfortable." I hadn't bothered with any casual clothes that I'd wear out in public, but instead opted for sweats and a long-sleeved shirt. It wasn't the first time that Cheryl had reprimanded me about my choice of clothing, but I also wasn't the only one that she nagged. As a girl completely absorbed into fashion, Cheryl always loved to look good and keep up with the latest trends.

"Right," she sourly muttered, rolling her eyes. "Although I normally wouldn't let it slip, we have more important matters to discuss."

"We do," I agreed, my lips tightening. "We should start planning out our formation and whatnot."

Her eyes narrowed at me almost menacingly, and she slapped the back of my head mercilessly, ignoring my tiny noise of startled protest. "You _idiot_! That's not what I'm talking about at all!"

Utterly bewildered, I stared up at her with wide eyes, my hands automatically flying up to rub the aching spot she had hit. "What are you talking about then?"

Cheryl waved a manicured hand at me and then demanded, "What the hell happened? How could you let _that _happen to you?" Anger was singing in her musical voice, her eyes fierce and narrowed. Yet, underneath it all was nothing but complete and bottomless concern.

"I let my guard down," I replied honestly, my lips pulling up into a sheepish smile.

"_Clearly,_" she snorted. "That's pathetic, Ivy."

A deep, enticing voice that was hoarse around the edges interrupted before I could say anything. "Ivy."

Our eyes all flickered up to the male that stood at the top of the stairs dressed in a light grey dress shirt with the first three buttons undone and a pair of dark rips that were ripped at the knees. With shaggy dark brown hair that fell into his exotic and charismatically lovely orange orbs, Al Riggs stared at me for another moment before his lips twisted up into an amazing smile. Not even bothering with the stairs, he gracefully swung himself over the banister, dropping down onto the floor with ease.

"Al!" My voice was muffled slightly by his chest as he crushed me to him, his strong arms wrapping around me like they always did.

"Welcome back," he murmured into my ear, his cool breath fanning my skin. "I missed you a ton. I was practically dying the past few weeks."

"Same here," I told him as I returned his embrace. A smile crawled onto my face as I buried my face into his chest, feeling so unbelievably ecstatic that I had seen everyone in EX5 today. It had definitely been too long.

When Cheryl slapped the back of Al's head, we naturally broke out of our hug. "Oi," the blond beauty said through gritted teeth, "what do you think you're doing?"

"Jealous, are we?" Al teased, a taunting grin spreading along his handsome face.

Clenching her hand into a fist, she aimed for his stomach, only for him to dodge out of the way. "Who the hell would be _jealous_, you stupid imbecile! I was in the middle of talking with her. Don't just go butting your head in whenever you want!"

"Ivy's mine," Al retorted as he side-stepped a roundhouse kick. He grabbed my hand, giving me a twirl before my back bumped against his chest. He wrapped an arm loosely around the front of my neck in a back hug while the other remained daintily holding my hand. "What right do you have to pull me away from her?"

"She is _not_ an object, Al!" Cheryl practically growled, her face glowing red from her lividness. "And you need to face the reality that Ivy isn't _yours_."

Pulling me a bit closer to him, Al's voice was laced with arrogance as he said, "Not yet, but she will be soon."

"As if I'd let someone like _you _get together with Ivy," Cheryl let out a loud and incredulous scoff. "She can do ten times better than you. Don't get delusional now, Al."

Clearing my throat before Al could retort, I suggested, "How about we talk about all this later when, you know, the rebellion is over? And Al, do you mind letting me go? It kind of hurts."

"Oh, crap, I forgot." Releasing me quickly, Al's lips pressed together as he stared. "We heard about what happened from Satoshi, since he called not long after you guys left. Are you okay?" His fingertips brushed lightly along the bandage on my cheek, a serious and solemn expression on his usually-grinning face.

Pulling on my arm so that I was farther away from Al and closer to her, Cheryl rolled her eyes. "Do us all a favour and get out, Al."

His eyebrow quirked up. "What are you talking about? I'm going to be essential when it comes to defending this place."

"Your conceitedness makes me want to punch you until your face is beyond recognition," Cheryl told him flatly, nothing in her expression giving her away. There was no twitch of the lips or slight nose wrinkling or loud swallowing.

It was always like this between the two—they constantly bickered and insulted one another, but that was how their relationship worked. They knew that none of it was meant to be taken seriously, which was why no ill feelings ever seemed to be created from the two of them. It was an amusing thing to witness, although it definitely wasn't the time to be thinking so.

Breaking into our group, a small person stumbled unsteadily into the room due to his haste. With flat and slightly damp-looking reddish-brown hair that's colour was so alike to mine, Arashi ran over to me and excitedly latched himself onto my waist. "Ivy!"

"Arashi!" I grinned brightly as I picked him up, feeling even happier than I had just a few moments ago even though it seemed so impossible. Giving him a twirl around before holding him up steadily in my arms, I rested my forehead against his. "Long time no see. Did you miss me?"

"A lot!" The six-year-old confessed loudly, wrapping his small and thin arms around my neck before kissing me loudly on the cheek. When he pulled away, his lips were pulled up into a wide and cheerful grin. "How about Ivy?"

"Of course I missed you," I told him, giving him a kiss on the forehead in return. "Have you been having fun lately?"

"Yes!" Arashi's green and gold eyes sparkled like stars. "Mana always plays with me!"

"Mana?" I repeated, slightly confused before another scent assaulted my senses.

"Welcome back, Ivy-chan!" A female voice shouted happily and enthusiastically. As I whirled around, Omura Mana stood with her threads of onyx ink pulled up into a high, simple ponytail that looked so good on her. Although just a regular hunter, she didn't seem to be one of those that looked down on EX5, and we had all grown quite attached to her. She was pretty tall, and she was relatively tanned from being out in the sun too much without putting on sunscreen. Her periwinkle eyes twinkled as she looked at me.

Blinking in disbelief, my tone matched the appearance on my face. "Mana! I didn't think you'd be here—Satoshi never mentioned anything about it!"

She let out a laugh. "To be honest, I didn't think I'd be here either. I was supposed to be on the same team as Lydia-chan, but it turns out that it was a miscalculation. They sent me back here since this is the Association's headquarters, and I got back not too long ago. It's great to see you."

"It's fantastic that you're here with us," I returned with a grin.

Letting out a loud sigh that caught everyone's attention, Kaito dragged a hand down his face. "Are the pleasantries done yet? It's best if we start seriously talking about the matter at hand." The two male hunters that I had come to the Association with had been so quiet, I had almost forgotten that they were there.

"It can't be helped." Cheryl let out a heavy sigh.

Kaito's eyes scanned the room. "I don't know how many of you guys know him, but the guy standing next to me is going to be the future president of the Association." His eyes slid over to the silver-haired hunter that had remained stoic the entire time, urging—or, well, more like warning—the eighteen-year-old to speak.

He said it calmly, though his eyes shined with caution. "Kiriyuu Zero."

"Cheryl Armstrong," the hot-headed blond introduced, placing her hands on her lips. "Or, well, Armstrong Cheryl if you want me to use the Japanese way. It's nice to _finally _meet you, Zero-kun. You're even more handsome than I had anticipated."

Sounding flustered, Mana scolded with a red face, "Cheryl-chan!" Bowing deeply as she faced Zero, the tanned female hunter nervously, yet with a beautiful smile, apologized and then said, "I'm Omura Mana. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Kiriyuu-san. I hope that we get along well, and please take good care of me!"

Al didn't introduce himself until he had stepped right up to Zero, standing an inch or so shorter than the pale lilac-eyed vampire. Despite being shorter, Al had a visibly more muscular body, though I knew that Zero wasn't just skin and bones, either. The walnut-haired EX5 member narrowed his eyes slightly at Zero, who stared back with his scowl twisting deeper with wariness.

"Al Riggs," the orange-eyed vampire began in a quiet and pensive voice though his stance expressed emotions completely different from his tone. "So you're Kiriyuu Zero, the apparent future head of the Association." He paused for a moment before an infuriatingly taunting smirk tugged at his features. "I really don't see anything special about you—whether it be the qualities of being the future head, or as the person that—"

Cheryl punched Al roughly on his left shoulder blade before grabbing his ear and yanking him back, giving Zero back his space. "Shut up already, Al. Stop trying to act so cool—you're not scaring anyone. Besides, trying to act all tough and hostile doesn't suit your image."

Al, losing his facade, let out a laugh, swatting Cheryl's hand away with a magnificent grin. "Okay, okay, let me go." Grinning at Zero, Al apologized with a laugh, "Sorry, sorry. Nice to meet you, Zero."

"Zero?" Arashi echoed, blinking his wide and doe-like eyes at the silver-haired vampire, whose eyes snapped to meet my younger brother's the moment his name was uttered. Arashi met Zero's gaze with innocent obliviousness for another moment longer before he turned to me, his eyes looking even wider than before.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, bemused. I didn't know what Arashi was thinking at all. The way his eyes glittered told me that he wasn't afraid of Zero, but I didn't know why his mouth dropped open.

Shaking his head, Arashi whipped his head back to Zero and removed his arms around my neck to stretch them out towards the tall, lean vampire hunter. "I want to hug."

For just a moment, I was so stunned that I couldn't even move. However, as Arashi looked at me once more, I found my feet bringing me closer to Zero.

"What do you think you're—"

Zero's sentence was cut off as Arashi practically jumped out of my arms when Zero was within his range, fastening himself onto the older male. His hands were clasped together at the back of Zero's neck, and even if the vampire didn't want to hold Arashi, if he didn't, then the child would've fallen onto the floor or Zero himself would've been dragged down as well. As expected though, Zero's reflexes kicked in instantly and he held Arashi in a way similar to how I had earlier, letting out a soft sigh.

Looking up at the inhumanly beautiful hunter, Arashi blinked once more and asked, "Ah, you really are Zero?"

Eyebrows knitting together a fraction, Zero took a moment to respond. "Yes."

A wide grin stretched across Arashi's face, and he giggled as he hugged Zero tightly. "Thank you!"

Judging by the look on everyone's face, I knew that I wasn't the only one surprised at my younger brother's words. I didn't know what he was talking about at all—had they met before? I wouldn't know if they had ever bumped into each other at the Association, but I found it more than just a little unlikely. If not, then had they met outside on a raid or something that someone brought him to? Once again, the probability of it seemed so low.

Zero's eyes widened slightly, befuddlement clouding in them. He wouldn't look that way if he actually _knew _what Arashi was talking about, right? "I think you've got the wrong person."

Upon hearing that, Arashi pulled back slightly with a very serious expression on his face. With his eyebrows drawn together as he assessed the hunter that held him and who could only stare back, Arashi eventually shook his head. "You're Zero." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

When Zero didn't deny it, Arashi nodded his head. "Then you're not wrong person. Arashi also remembers..." Unclasping his hands, Arashi pulled lightly on a stand of Zero's hair and also touched his cheek. Pointing to Zero's eyes as well, Arashi's head bobbed up and down a second time. "All this... Arashi knows very goodly."

"Have you met Arashi-kun before?" Mana inquired, the shock leaving her system. Mystification and awe were in her tone as she stared at the two of them.

His eyes darted up to hers before fluttering back down to the little boy. "No, I haven't."

Just as he did so earlier with me, Arashi pressed his lips against Zero's cheek unabashedly. I heard a few gasps, and a strangled sound, but my own slight choking seemed loudest to my own ears. Zero's eyes widened a tiny fraction more, his amethyst orbs conveying clearly how bewildered he was.

With a radiant smile, Arashi repeated, "Thank you, Zero."

"Why are you thanking me?" Zero asked him in his naturally quiet tone, voicing aloud the question that all of us were thinking. It surprised me greatly to see Arashi acting this way—he was usually extremely shy around strangers and wouldn't even dare to go a meter within them unless Lydia, Satoshi, Trance, or I would be holding him.

Yet, to Zero, why...?

The youngest Tashiro sibling began innocently, "Because Ivy always tells me stories with Zero in them! Ivy always smiles when telling about Zero, and Arashi likes it when Ivy is happy. Arashi is happy, too! So thank you!" He continued on, "Ivy always says that Zero is her—"

Unfreezing and with my heart pounding ten times harder than necessary, I swiped Arashi out of Zero's arms hastily. It wasn't a difficult feat, as his grip hadn't been extremely tight, and I covered my younger brother's mouth with one hand. I felt so horrified that I couldn't even describe it. At the very beginning, Arashi's words hadn't even registered in my brain. All I could do was stand frozen stiff as he continued to blabber on. At this point, it was clear that questions were going to be asked, but if he didn't stop spilling out my secrets, I felt like I'd die from embarrassment.

Turning my back to Zero to hide my red face, I let out a forced laugh. "Okay, Arashi, that's enough. It's getting late and it's time for bed. You can play with everyone again next time, okay?" I didn't let anyone say anything as I bolted out of the room and towards the place where the Tashiro family usually stayed if we were to rest at the Association.

"Ivy, your face is red," Arashi said worriedly. "Why?"

"It's nothing, Arashi," I reassured the boy in my arms as I opened up the room door. I could feel my face burning, and I let out a loud sigh—my entire body felt hot from mortification. "Okay, did you brush your teeth yet?"

His lips were pushed into a pout. "Arashi isn't sleepy."

I ruffled his hair, a grin on my face. I remembered that before I got bit by the Pureblood, I was still pretty much nocturnal. Hopefully, he wouldn't be like how I was. "That's what you say, but the truth is that you feel tired, right? I promise that we can play together when everything is over."

"When what is over?" he asked, sounding puzzled.

When we're done killing off the vampires. When this area of Japan was no longer like a war-zone between hunters and vampires. When the rebellion and all the idiotic revolts of angry and stupid vampires were put to a rest. Instead of saying any of the above, I settled for saying, "When we finish taking care of this place."

Thankfully, Arashi was either too tired to pick up the meaning behind those words or he simply didn't understand. "Promise?"

"Yup," I nodded with a smile.

"How about I tuck Arashi-kun into bed?" Mana offered from behind me, appearing at the door. When I looked at her over my shoulder, she smiled at me kindly. "I don't mind, and besides, I think that it's more important if you're there to help with the plan."

Hesitating for a second before nodding my head, I smiled at her. "Thanks a lot, Mana." I gave Arashi another tight hug and placed a kiss on the top of his head as I said to him, "Get lots of good rest and dream about a lot of happy stuff, 'kay?"

Nodding in an energized matter, Arashi gave me another kiss on the cheek and giggled. "Ivy, too! I love Ivy."

Grinning wildly, I ruffled his hair. "I love you too, Arashi. Good night." I waved to him as I left the room, giving Mana a grateful smile as I passed her. She merely returned my look with one of her own, murmuring to me the location in which the others were waiting, and then entered the room, preparing to deal with the youngest Tashiro.

It didn't take me long to reach my destination, the four scents behind the doors all familiar ones that I knew so well. I could feel my palms getting a bit clammy from the nervousness that I felt—I didn't want to see the look that would be on Zero's face when I saw him again. My stomach contorted as I was reminded of what Arashi had said.

I almost turned around and went right back to where Mana was.

Taking in a deep breath and then sighing, I flung open the large oak doors that led to the spacious meeting room. The enormous desk that sat in the center of the room was an outline of a circle, hollow on the inside with the width thick and wide enough for placing textbooks, binders, whatnot. Large, comfy swivel chairs were placed all around it, with one chair that was larger than the rest. It was the chair that was solely for the president, but as my eyes swept through the room, none of them had taken that seat.

Purposely avoiding Zero's eyes, I took a seat in between Cheryl and Al, though there were quite a few chairs between everyone so that we were all spread apart pretty equally.

"Sorry," I apologized, running a hand through my hair. "What's going on?"

"Ivy," Cheryl started as she turned to look at me, "which time do you think is more likely that the vampires would attack—night or day?"

Al let out a sigh, rolling his eyes slightly. He propped his elbow up onto the desk, resting his cheek against his fisted hand. "Like I said, it's going to be at night. Not only are humans sleeping which gives them an advantage, they'll also think that we're at a disadvantage while it's dark."

"It would be _morning_," Cheryl corrected him fiercely. "They know that we can't just start swinging our weapons around in broad daylight in front of regular humans, which will prompt them to attack at this time. Not only that, but they _know _we're vampires as well, Al. They think it's a disadvantage to us since most vampires aren't very good with sunlight."

Kaito exhaled loudly. "I said that it _doesn't matter _either way. We'll all take turns standing guard in case they decide to attack at night, and if they do it in the morning, then it doesn't matter as we'll all be awake."

"We don't need to take turns standing guard." I blinked my eyes at Kaito. "Since I don't sleep anyways, I can be the one who keeps watch. The rest of you guys should just get as much rest as you can."

"And if you fall asleep?" Zero countered, his eyes burning into the side of my face. I tried my best to cover up my flinch when his voice had spoken, but from the way he seemed to be glowering lasers at me, it was evident that he noticed it.

I couldn't bring myself to look at him. I felt as though if I did, I would be blurting out a ton of secrets and apologizing like I had never apologized before in my life. Seeing his piercing eyes would only have me acting like a flustered imbecile as I tried to keep my composure, though it would be impossible to do so. I already felt cheeks flaring slightly as I recalled what Arashi had said. It made me sound like I was some kind of stalker, or that I was infatuated with the silver-haired hunter and had been watching him secretly.

Which wasn't the case at all.

But I could imagine that Zero would be having these kinds of thoughts. What else was he supposed to think when he heard something like that from a kid he had never even met before? He probably thought that I followed him around and took pictures of him to show my younger brother. What if he thought that I had some kind of blown-up picture of him in my room? What if he thought I daydreamed about him? What if he had some kind of fake image of me trying to peek at him while he showered?

Oh, _lord_.

My forehead connected with the desk in front of me as I continued to imagine what could possibly be whirling around in his mind. I felt so embarrassed, I wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear somewhere. The pain of my head was vague as I continued to drown myself in my own pathetic humiliation.

Pain exploded in the back of my skull as Cheryl smacked me there, sounding annoyed. "What are you _doing_, Ivy? Are you done daydreaming yet?"

"I wasn't—" I didn't even bother continuing with my sentence. Sighing, I lifted my head up off the desk, rubbing my forehead. "I probably _won't_ fall asleep, Zero." Since I had gotten over twelve hours of sleep yesterday night, I was pretty energized. There was a low chance of me falling asleep again, at least for a few more days.

Kaito shook his head. "It's best if we have another person on guard as well, Ivy."

"Wouldn't it be best if you didn't push yourself too hard, Ivy?" Al's lips twisted up into a charming half-smile. "You should sleep as much as you can so that you don't collapse from exhaustion during the battle."

"As if she'll listen," Cheryl snorted. Pointing a finger at me, the seventeen-year-old blond vampire declared, "Ivy, you're _not _going to be on guard duty alone. It's all of us against you, so it really doesn't matter what you say, anyways."

I opened and closed my mouth, not a single word escaping me. Seeing the looks on their faces, I mumbled, "Fine." It would be pointless to argue anyway, so I wasn't going to waste my breath.

"I'll take the first shift with Ivy," Al offered casually, leaning against the back of his chair and then propping his feet up onto the desk instead. He placed his hands behind his head, looking extremely at home and relaxed.

Cheryl didn't look pleased, but I was surprised when she didn't argue about it like I had expected her to. "I claim second."

"Mana can take third, and I'll take fourth," Kaito directed. Glancing over at the hunter that sat a few seats off to his side, he told Zero, "You'll take the last shift with Ivy before morning."

"I figured," Zero responded.

"How does a one hour shift for every person sound?" Al suggested. "Considering our numbers, having two or three-hour shifts seems too long."

Kaito flicked him a glance. "Sounds appropriate, I guess."

"And now that we're done with _that_, let's start discussing the actual battle strategy, shall we?" Cheryl leaned forward across her desk seriously, a tress of her curls falling off the back of her shoulders to hang down in the front. "Zero-kun uses a gun, right? That means that our forces are split right in half. Three of us are either middle to long range while three of us are close range fighters."

"I think that, opposed to us going out to the ambush, we should bring the ambush _here_," I voiced aloud.

Kaito looked at me for a moment. "Expand on that a bit more, Ivy."

I tried to explain it properly. "I mean, why should we wait until the vampires have already reached town before we go out and start hunting them down? There's no point in that. The town is huge, and we can't be everywhere at once. It'll take too long to reach them in time to save everyone; they'd probably have already sucked a bunch of the townspeople dry. There will be too many casualties if we do it that way. So why don't we just bring the fight here, where the Association is?

"We should round up every single person that lives in town and bring them here to live in the Association. There's more than enough room here to accommodate everyone—there's the library, the empty residential rooms, the ballroom halls, training grounds... I'm sure we could fit everyone in here. It might be a little bit tight, but it's not impossible."

Kaito seemed to have caught on to my train of thought. "Since the Association building has wards that keep vampires away, then that means all the townspeople will be safe from the vampires."

It was true. The wards that the Association was protected with were ridiculously strong. No vampires could forcefully break into the building. Even Purebloods had difficulty trying to infiltrate Headquarters. It was an immensely strong barrier that completely rejected and repelled untamed vampires.

"And not only that, but because we have four people who can attack just fine within the barrier grounds, then it's not only safe for the townspeople, but for us as well," Al mused aloud. "I had originally wanted us to split up into five sections and have each one holding our own spot in town, with Mana being the only one staying in the Association building because of her weapon, but I suppose this also works."

Upon arriving just early enough to catch the last part of Al's words, Mana closed the door behind her and took a seat in one of the numerous chairs between Zero and Al. Looking over at him, the obsidian-haired beauty smiled. "Um—so what did I miss?"

"Not much," Cheryl waved it off, pulling all of her long locks of hair over to one shoulder.

Zero explained without much enthusiasm or care, "You'll be woken up at some point for your night-guard shift."

She nodded at what he had said, understanding it perfectly well. She didn't seem offended by his slight scowl, but I supposed it was because she knew it always decorated his face.

Filling her in further, I said, "We're thinking of bringing everyone in town here, to the Association. It's easier to protect everyone this way. There'll be a lot less deaths, and we'll be more than just prepared for it."

"That sounds risky, though," Mana murmured worriedly. Her eyebrows pulled together. "Even though our wards are strong, is it possible to withstand so many vampires trying to tear it apart?"

"I don't think that's the problem here," Cheryl retorted, her lips pulling into a taut line. "It's more like how are we going to get everyone here? It's not like we can just make up some half-assed excuse and expect them to believe us and follow us here. We have a higher chance of getting punched in the face by a tree."

"We just need to convince them," Al said as he leaned back against his chair. "We'll tell them the truth—that there's going to be a vampire attack on the town."

"That sounds even crazier," the blonde said.

Mana nodded her head slightly in agreement. "We can't do that, Al-kun. We'd be exposing the existence of vampires to regular civilians. The Association heads will definitely protest against it—we'd get into a ton of trouble for it. Not to mention the fact that the towns people will be in shock and be too afraid to think logically."

"It's better than them dying when it could've been prevented," Al shot back.

When Zero spoke, everyone quieted down to listen to what he had to say. "We can wipe their memories out with charms after the rebellion is over. They won't even remember any of it."

"_Exactly_!" Al exclaimed enthusiastically. He pointed a finger at Zero and grinned. "Did you hear what the future President said?"

"Do we even have enough charms to do that?" Cheryl demanded incredulously.

"We do," Kaito confirmed. His hazel eyes darted between all of us. "But Mana has a point. The citizens won't believe a word we have to say. And even if they do, they'll be hysterical."

"That's not an excuse," I objected. "We still need to use the method that guarantees the highest rate of safety for the people of this town. That's what we're here for, right? Zero already stated we could use charms and erase their memories about it afterwards, so the Association can't say anything about that. No matter how scared or petrified they are in that moment, they won't even remember it afterwards. It'll be terrifying for them when they realize what we tell them is true, and I feel bad for them because it's definitely cruel, but we need to do it. Al said it—it's better than having them dead."

Al ran a hand through his hair. "We just need to explain it to them in a way that will keep them from freaking out."

"And how do you suggest we do something as impossible as _that_, you idiot?" Cheryl slid her eyes to meet the older hunter's.

He looked away after a second and shrugged. "I don't know, but that's what we need to do."

"It can't be done," Mana murmured as she shook her head. "Nobody in their right minds would not feel like their reality has shattered upon hearing something like that."

"Even if they're frenzied, drag them in here anyways," Al suggested casually.

"I'm sure that _some _people will remain calm," Kaito pondered out loud. "It's unrealistic for every single person in town to feel as if they lost their sanity. There _are _going to be some level-headed people out there."

His eyes were hard as Zero said, "We don't need to tell children. Adults are the only ones who truly need to understand the situation."

"Tomorrow, let's all split up into pairs and try to convince everyone in town to get into the Association," I said as I looked at everyone around me. "It's easier to convince others when you're not alone, and even if trouble arises, there will be an extra person to help out, whether it's restraining a panicking citizen or if a vampire appears."

"We'll decide the groups tomorrow morning," Kaito agreed.

Cheryl sounded incredulous. "We're actually going to do this?"

"Unless you have a better way, you can't complain," Al stated.

"The vampires, upon realizing where the humans are, will gather around the Association building. With Kaito, Mana, and Zero being experts in guns, not only will they be safe from the vampires, but it'll also be easier for them to take down more than just one target with a single shot. Since Al's Beckleta can be considered a middle-ranged weapon, he's okay as well." I shook my head. "No matter how you look at it, isn't this the safest way for everyone, Cheryl?"

"I suppose you _do _have a point," Mana murmured reluctantly. "This way, Ivy-chan doesn't need to go out into the battlefield as well."

My eyebrows rose upwards at what the tanned beauty said, and I shared a look with the blond. Smiling, I informed them, "Cheryl and I are still going to head out if we're going with this plan."

"What are you saying?" Mana objected instantly, her eyebrows pulled together and her lips forming a straight line on her face. "You can't do that! It's so dangerous because they'll all be mobbing around. They'll swarm and outnumber you guys and—"

"And that's why we're counting on you guys to back us up," I interrupted, my lips stretching up even higher as I looked at the stern sixteen-year-old.

"Ivy's right." Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Cheryl placed her hands on her hips and raised her chin high. "Do you _really_ think that we'd just sit in the Association and do nothing while you guys try to protect this place? _Please_. We're not so delicate and pathetic. We're going to do what we can to defend this place, and if it means that we're going to charge into an army of vampires, then we're going to charge into an army of vampires. It's not like we'd die, anyways. We're not so weak."

Al turned his head away, a fisted hand coming up to rest in front of his mouth as he stifled a laugh. Cheryl's eyes immediately snapped towards him and they narrowed dangerously. I merely stared at him with slightly raised eyebrows, wondering what was so funny.

"What are you laughing about, Al?" Cheryl demanded haughtily, an irritated look on her face and an annoyed tone sprayed into her tone.

With amusement playing along his handsome features, Al forced a cough and glanced at us from the corner of his eyes. "There's really no delicacy in you guys at all."

A light shade of red brushed against Cheryl's cheeks, but whether it was from anger or embarrassment, I wouldn't know. I had a good guess that it was a bit of both. "What the hell? What do you _want _me to say?"

"Something cute?" Al suggested, a smile curling onto his face. "Something that would make us actually _want _to protect you?"

"I don't _need_ your protection," Cheryl shot back fiercely. "Are you blind? I could beat you up if I wanted to, and you think _you_ can protect _me_?"

Not able to contain my laughter any longer, I just let it out, interrupting whatever Al was going to respond with. I could feel them all staring at me strangely at my outburst, but the thought of Cheryl and I _genuinely _being damsels in distress was hilarious. I wasn't going to deny the fact that we had been saved countless of times by our comrades, but I couldn't imagine either of us being, as Al said, "delicate". Perhaps it was because I knew what Al meant when he said that, and he was thinking of girls that were unable to hold their tears in well, and would say things that made others instantly want to embrace them.

"Did you go crazy?" Cheryl inquired.

"Ivy?" Al raised an eyebrow at me as I calmed down from my laughing fit.

Waving a hand dismissively, I snickered once more before grinning at him in amusement, my eyes bright. "That was funny."

"Oh?" The brunette's tone urged me to continue on.

"I don't know—it's just, I can't imagine it. What do you want us to say?" Trying my best to look serious, I stared at him and began, "Oh, Al, I am so incredibly helpless in the face of super beautiful guys who want my blood. I'm so scared that my knees are going give out underneath me at any given moment. Please, you handsome hero, protect me and let me cry in your chest as you whisper consoling words into my ear, ignoring the fact that there are still vampires around—" I couldn't finish my horrible monologue, as Al, Cheryl, and Mana all raised their eyebrows at me before bursting out laughing. I couldn't help but join them as the room was filled with out loud laughter.

With one arm slung over his stomach to loosely clutch at his side, Al tipped his head back as he continued laughing, running a hand through his hair. "W-What was _that_?"

"Stop Ivy, just stop. _Never _do that again," Cheryl snickered. "You're killing me. That was so horrible, it was funny."

Wiping a tear that emerged from laughing too hard, Mana was gasping for breath. "I don't... Please don't attempt at something like that again."

"That was pathetic, Ivy," Kaito had an eyebrows raised, a brief chuckle leaving him.

"Okay, see, _this_ is my point," I grinned at them. "Sorry, Al. We can't be your princesses. We're definitely going to do what we can."  
>Immediately, the light-heartedness that had been in the air dissipated as solemn looks appeared on everyone's face again as we re-entered the topic of the rebellion.<p>

"We'll back you up," Kaito reassured Cheryl and I in a serious tone. His hazel eyes were unsmiling as they met ours slowly, letting his undertone of sincerity to truly hit us. He had his fingers laced together in front of his mouth, his elbows sustained up on the desk. A few strands of his light gold-chocolate hair fell into his eyes, but they shone determinedly at us.

A smile made its way onto my face, and I nodded gratefully. "Yeah. Thanks, Kaito."

"You better," Cheryl retorted, turning her head away from him. Her arms were folded across her chest, and while she sounded so arrogant, the way her eyes had softened had given away her true feelings. While Cheryl and Kaito weren't amazingly close, I knew that the blond was still glad that she had such resolute support from him.

"If you two plan to head out and charge in, then I should, as well," Al stated easily, not an ounce of fear in his voice. "There's no way that I'd let either of you run into an army head-first like that and try to take the damage. I should lead the attack."

"Why can't Ivy and I do that?" Cheryl scowled at him, dissatisfied.

"Al, you're better off staying in the Association," I disagreed firmly. "Beckleta is able to be middle-ranged and long-ranged. Use the wards to your advantage."

Al's vibrant orange orbs seemed to be piercing suddenly as he looked at us steadily. In a slightly darker tone than usual, he said, "Don't joke with me. Both of you were injured today. Do you really think I'm going to let you guys do something like that in your states?"

My eyes widened at his words, my head whipping over to look at Cheryl. Something like horror washed over me, but I wasn't sure whether it was because she had gotten hurt or if it was because I hadn't noticed it at all. "_What_? What happened? Where are you wounded?" I grabbed her wrist, concerned.

Looking into my eyes for a moment before turning her head away, Cheryl brushed the situation off. "It's not a big deal."

"What are you talking about?" My grip tightened. "What happened, Cheryl?"

"If you don't tell her, I will," Al added quietly in an offhanded manner.

"Shut the hell up, Al," the blond beauty snapped. "Why did you tell her? I thought I told you not to mention it."

Stunned, I questioned, "You weren't going to tell me?" A slight pang of hurt hit me in the chest as I stared at the taller female in front of me. I knew that she just didn't want me to worry, but I still felt choked that she didn't want me to know. EX5 had long abandoned secrets within the group, especially when it came to our wellbeing.

"It's not a big deal," Cheryl echoed from earlier, evading the question.

I stared at her for a moment, not able to find the right words to express what I wanted to say. What, was I supposed to accuse her of being a liar when all she was doing was trying to be kind in her own way? I understood how she felt, but I still somehow felt like it was wrong of her to keep it to herself.

An urge to sigh overwhelmed me. I was being so hypocritical.

It was like everything in my mind clicked at that moment. Quietly, I mumbled, "That's why Nao said to ask Al and not you. That's why he didn't say anything when I asked him about it. You were bitten. Cheryl, do you need—"

"I don't want to hear that from you," Cheryl cut me off sharply. Meeting my eyes with her own cerulean eyes in a glower, she gritted out, "I don't need it."

"But—"

"Junko gave it earlier," Al reported to me before I could say anything else. "Don't think you're getting away, either. I didn't forget. After we're done this meeting, you're going to take some. I don't care if I need to force you to, Ivy."

Sadly, I knew that what Al said was true. It had happened on more than one occasion before. It seemed almost as if Al was the most persistent about it between all of us—even if we said we didn't need it, even if we yelled and told him we hated him, even when we hit him and things began to get violent, Al was always the one who made absolute sure that we all got blood from others in EX5 if he assumed we needed it. There were times where Nao and Al had fought using their anti-vampire weapons because of both their immovable, tenacious natures.

"Later," I mumbled. Turning back to Cheryl, I analyzed her carefully. Her sweater dress had a pretty wide neckline, so it was clear that she didn't get bitten on her neck or on the crook of her shoulders. "I just want to know where you got bitten."

Rolling her eyes, she said, "My forearm. Can we drop this now? I'm fine with it, Al."

Mimicking her action, Al deadpanned, "No. Don't being stubborn, Cheryl."

"Cheryl-chan?" Mana began in a small, hesitant voice. She winced just slightly when blazing, curious cerulean eyes slid over to her, but the periwinkle-eyed hunter stood her ground. "I think that Al-kun is right. Since both you and Ivy-chan are injured, it's best if we leave it to Al-kun."

Livid disbelief pasted itself onto the princess-like vampire's expression. "You don't think I can handle it?"

"That's not what I said!" Mana objected strongly, her eyebrows pulling together.

"Cheryl." Kaito's voice resonated through the room, the sternness in it catching everyone's attention. As we all stared at him silently, he ordered, "Al's going to go with you guys."

"Kaito—"

"Don't even start with me, you brat," Kaito sighed as he leaned back against his chair, running a hand through his hair. "We're not doubting your abilities or thinking you're inferior to him. It's just safer for you both this way."

I bit down on my tongue. Was it really worth the risk of having Al injured as well, when it was so possible that he could stay safe inside the Association?

She opened her mouth before she closed it. Her fists clenched at her sides, something that I didn't dismiss. Her cheeks were flushed from anger, her jaw tight as she clenched her teeth together. The defiance she gave off was so heavy and intense, I was sure that everyone in the room could feel it.

But Cheryl wasn't angry at anyone but herself. Her anger wasn't directed at them because she thought that they were looking down on her or anything, because she _knew_ they weren't. Nobody in the room had the same kind of perspective as _they_ did. Instead, Cheryl was angry at _herself _for feeling so helpless.

For feeling like she couldn't do anything.

It was a horrible feeling in general, yet with Cheryl it was probably magnified more than a hundred times. She didn't seem tough because she _was _tough. Her anger always masked how she truly felt on the inside, because it was her way of having her defenses raised. It was her guard.

It was to hide everything that hurt.

It was something that I knew so well.

Grabbing one of her fisted hands with my own, I met her surprised sapphire gems with my own emerald and topaz ones. I didn't know what emotion my eyes or my face conveyed to her, but I had a feeling that even though _I _had no idea what I was expressing to her, she already knew. "Cheryl."

Her eyes remained frozen with a raging fire for another moment before they broke. Features relaxing, she looked away from me towards Al, who met her stare with one of his own. Unlike me, who jumbled up all my emotions together to practically form a new sort of feeling, Al's face showed nothing but compassionate understanding that almost hurt to look at.

A heartbeat, two, and then she relented reluctantly. "Fine."

"Now we can _finally _move on." Exasperation was embroidered in his tone.

"Shut up, Al," came Cheryl's retort as we both sat down next to one another.

As I analyzed the blond beauty, I took notice of the way her jaw was no longer painfully set to show her gritted teeth like a few seconds earlier. Her muscles and body seemed less tense and rigid, her expression softer. Her hands, which had been clenched to the point where I thought that they would break, loosened at her sides.

I was about to let go of her hand that I had been holding, but she surprised me as she kept her grip on mine. It wasn't a clutch so tight that it prevented me from pulling away if I wanted to. On the contrary, it was a very gentle, tentative kind of hold, like she was a trying to capture a butterfly in her hands.

When I glanced over at her, her eyes told me just how insecure she felt. She was leaning on me for support, and I couldn't help but squeeze her hand to reassure her that it was okay. We were always there for one another to help the other stabilize and get back up on their feet.

A small smile was on my face as we turned back to the meeting, our clasped hands acting as a pillar to help hold her up so that she wouldn't think of things in the past anymore. We could never help one another forget, because forgetting was impossible. We knew that.

We also knew that we needed each other.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

My chapters seem to be getting so long. OTL. I apologize if I make your eyes dry and peeled and your brain dying because you need to endure super long chapters of my writing. -DIES-

BUT YEAH. GUYSSSS, AL AND CHERYL? AL AND CHERYL? AND ARASHI? MANA? What do you guys think? HAHA. Personally, I think it was the most fun writing about Al and Cheryl. Arashi's adorable, but considering the fact that I don't know any six-year-olds, I had no idea the extent of their speech and vocabulary. OTL. I hope that I did okay with that. I love Al's playfulness and Cheryl's sass. Is it just me? HAHA. Tell me your thoughts!

Sorry for any grammar mistakes, spelling errors, or any OOCness that may have occurred in this chapter!

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**Yamai-san, Smirk 'N' Sweat Drop, sky of c-o-l-o-r-s, Shadow of a Broken Angel, anon, Minnila, Jade Starlight, AliceMarieSwan, and Youknowwhothisis**

Thank you guys so much! I love how you guys take some time to give me some feedback; it's greatly appreciated!

Also, thank you everyone who alerted and favourited! (:

RESPONSE TIME!

To **Yamai-san**;

Oh, thank goodness you can wait. HAHA. I'm dying with school, I'm sorry! And I'm glad that you liked the chapter. Kenta and Junko, eh? Kenta seems to be popular with most people, which is fine with me, since he's adorable. I'm curious, though, now that Al and Cheryl have been introduced, as well as Arashi and Mana! Tell me your thoughts? (: Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this new chapter! ;D

To **Smirk 'N' Sweat Drop**;

Satoshi, eh? I love him. HAHA. Though, when I think about it, I love all my OCs in Heterochromia to bits. I really do. Tashiro family love is amazing, ain't it? I can't wait until Trance and Lydia get introduced. I hope you look forward to it! Thanks for taking the time to always read and review for me! I hope you enjoyed this chapter with Al, Cheryl, Arashi, and Mana! (:

To **Shadow of a Broken Angel**;

Yes, I'm back! And I'm back again, earlier than usual! SURPRISE! (: Well, I'm glad that you need that long chapter! Uh, here, have another one. LOL. I hope that you don't mind long chapters! I swear most of the chapters will be around this long, give or take a few pages. You were looking forward to meeting them, and now you have! TA-DA! What do you think? Tell me your thoughts? (: Thank you so much for your support, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

To **anon**;

ASTIN? IS THIS YOU? I love how you keyboard spam. I love it when people keyboard spam, too. LOL. I think that I do it so often in my typing and conversations with my friends that I got them into doing it, too. It's hilarious. I'm glad you love my stories! That makes me so incredibly happy, you have no idea. =P Well, you're on the fence right now about favourites... but one day, for a question for one of the chapters after most or all my OCs have been introduced, you can count on me asking again! Thank you so much for your support, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! What do you think about Al, Cheryl, Arashi, and Mana? ;D

To **Minnila**;

He's pretty awesome, isn't he? HAHA. I'm glad that you liked it! I was really worried. Thank you for your time and I hope you liked this chapter, too! (:

To **Jade Starlight**;

ASDGHHJKL. YOU THINK SO? Why, thank you! I'm really flattered. xD You think I give life to the characters? DANG. That's one of the best compliments to get, I think. HAHA. I'm glad that that's your opinion! It's really touching to know you think so. It seems so meaningful for authors to be able to do that. Well, actually, Zero _does _become much more involved soon, so I hope that you're looking forward to seeing how Ivy and Zero's relationship develops, even if it's slow. ANBOWNEBOQWNPB. I LOVE HOW YOU LOVE KENTA AND GAVE ME SUCH AN AMAZING REASON WHY. I was in awe when I read your review. I love how you explained why you like him so clearly, and I love how you think he helps round out Ivy's character. I feel like a lot of people like Kenta, so he'll definitely be coming up in later chapters. HAHA. But now that some more people have been introduced, what do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts again! Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review for me and always support me. I hope you had fun reading this chapter!

To **AliceMarieSwan**;

Junko seems like the polar opposite of Ivy? REALLY? Actually, I didn't create Junko with the thought or intention of her becoming Ivy's foil. LOL. But after you mentioned it, I've been thinking about it. To each their own, right? It wasn't an author's rant at all! I love hearing your thoughts on things, so thank you so much for that. I updated, and I hope you liked it! ;D

To **Youknowwhothisis**;

Well, I know _someone_ is a fan of long chapters. HAHA. YES. I was aiming for Ivy to seem badass. I'm glad that it came off that way to you. XDD It _is _different from how Ivy usually acts, and while I'm more of a fan when it comes to writing about her normally, it's interesting to write about her when she's serious, too. I'm glad you loved Satsohi! He's such a sweet brother to Ivy. -sighs- Love him. Thank you for your time, and I hope you liked this chapter! ( I hope I got the ants out of your pants. =P )

And that concludes my responses! I responded to every reviewer this time... Phew. Sorry for the walls of text!

Judging from all the responses that I got... I think that most people like Satoshi the best so far? Well, I don't know. TRUST ME, GUYS. After I introduce more OCs and all, there's definitely going to be another question of "WHO'S YOUR FAVOURITE?" and I'm not sure whether or not I'll hold a poll for it... Maybe I will, Iunno. BUT YEAH. Kenta seems to be a close second. (:

I'm still going to continue asking questions every chapter, so the question for chapter nine is down below!

**QUESTION: What do you think happened between Trance and Ivy? **

I'd love to hear your thoughts and predictions, so feel free to share! I don't bite, I swear. (:

AND I KNOW, I KNOW. A bunch of you guys are probably like, "WHERE IS ZEROOO? WHERE IS THE ZERO AND IVY INTERACTIONSS? WHERE IS THE ROMANCEEEE? HE ISN'T EVEN IN THE CHAPTERS HALF THE TIMEEE! -RAGERAGERAGE-" And it's true that Zero actually hasn't been playing an openly major role in the chapters lately. And there _is_ a reason for that; it's because I want to introduce OCs that will be important later on, as well as you guys to get a feel of Ivy. Everything I've written up until now is a set-up for when Zero _does _step into the spotlight, and trust me. He'll be doing that in the next next chapter. I think. xD

Well, that's all I really have to say...

Sharing is caring! XD Tell me whether you liked it, loved it, or hated it and why, if you want. LET'S CHAT. XD

Let's hope that exams won't kill me and I'll be able to update soon, yes? (:

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	10. Masquerade

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters. Vampire Knight belongs solely to Matsuri Hino. I also don't own anything that you may, and some things that you may not, recognize in this story.**

**A/N: **

YOOOO! I'm back with another chapter! Hurray~ I had a ton of fun writing this chapter! Al and Cheryl are around it a lot. I think that the conversations between Al and Ivy, as well as Cheryl and Ivy, say a lot. Or, well, they HINT at a lot. xD So I hope you guys have fun with that. -grins-

Heterochromia's almost hitting the 100s for review count! ;O I hope that with this chapter, it'll be able to surpass that mark! (: It'll be awesome, and if that DOES happen, which I really hope it does, I can't even begin to express my gratitude for everyone.

BUT ANYWAYS.

I ALSO CHANGED THE SUMMARY... You know. If anyone cares. LOL. I just wasn't all that satisfied with the old one... And to be honest, I'm still iffy about this new one, but BLEHH. I'll probably end up changing it again at some point. Still, I hope that you guys like this new one, too! xD

I really hope that you guys like this chapter! (:

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER TEN;**

_"Masquerade"_

* * *

><p>Al and my watch duty didn't start until a bit later, since it was too early for any of us to be sleeping. Nonetheless, everyone except the two of us had retreated to their respective rooms or went off to do their own things—even Cheryl. It was something that surprised me, as I had expected her to stay with us.<p>

We sat on one of the enormous window seats that faced the front of the building. The smooth square tiles of the large ledge were cool as we rested on them. Leaning on opposite ends of the regular square window, we faced one another. He had one of his long legs spread out straight in front of him, though he made sure to have it as close to the window's edge as possible to give me room as well. His other leg was bent and pulled close toward him like it would be if he was sitting criss-crossed. I sat with my legs half bent to my chest, both my arms extended in a straight manner in front of me with the hands clasped. My elbows rested on my knees.

The dark-haired man had his head tipped back to rest against the side of the window, his face angled to look out the panes. His unusual orange eyes practically glowed and were one of his most striking features. The lights from the street-posts outside only seemed to further illuminate and emphasize the beauty of his tangerine orbs as they reflected in his eyes. With a straight nose, shaggy soft hair, and a square jaw sprinkled with just a dash of stubble, I couldn't help but wonder if he had gotten more handsome.

His eyes suddenly flickered to meet mine, a smirk curling along his lips. "Are you entranced by my charismatic handsomeness?"

An amused smile crawled onto my face as I stared at him, unfazed. "You could say that."

Al's smirk stretched wider for a moment before he let out a laugh. "Thought so. I _am _pretty attractive, if I do say so myself."

"Whoa there," I teased. "Don't get too far ahead of yourself, Al. Since when were you this conceited?"

He placed a large hand over his heart, faking a wounded expression though his eyes twinkled. "I'm hurt, Ivy, I really am. Is this how you've been viewing me these past few years? As an arrogant jerk or something that's got nothing better to do than bathe in his own good looks?"

"Well," I started as I pretended to give it some thought, "I _do _see you constantly looking in the mirror as you make all these different express—" He cut me off as he jabbed at one of my feet with his own leg, which he had stretched out before retrieving it.

Raising an eyebrow, he innocently questioned, "What were you about to say?"

I snickered for a moment, entertained at the fact that he had interrupted me. Maybe it was because it was obvious everyone else was listening in on our conversation and he didn't want any of my false stories to taint his "tough and cool" reputation that he had gained. Of course, the "tough and cool" part of it was self-proclaimed.

"Just that it's really great to see you again." I grinned at him, switching the subject. "What have you been up to these past three and a half months?"

"The usual things," he answered dismissively, sounding disinterested. His eyes dropped from mine as he stared at the tiles we sat on. "I never knew how cold it could get in some places." He let out a sigh before his eyes flashed up to meet mine once again. "I'd ask you about your activities as well, but there's really no point if I already know."

I turned my head to stare out the window like he had been doing earlier. I focused my eyes on the scenery below instead of the reflection in the glass that I didn't want to see. If Al knew, then that meant that everyone in EX5 was also aware of what I'd been doing. And there was only one reason that I could come up with that would explain why they were keeping tabs on me.

"You don't have to be so worried," I said to him softly as I kept my eyes trained on the pavement outside. "I'm really not going to mess up."

Al let out a scoff, rolling his eyes. An expectant look was on his face as he stared at me. "It's not you screwing up that's got us concerned, Ivy."

Bewildered, I shifted back to face the twenty-year-old vampire in front of me. My eyebrows pulled together slightly as I asked, "Then why are you guys keeping an eye on me?"

"Why else?" Al retorted, his lips tightening slightly as he gazed at me with serious, stern eyes. Upon seeing my still confused expression, he exhaled deeply and frowned. "Think about it, Ivy. What did you tell all of us the night before you left?"

While I was still perplexed, I blinked at Al as I flipped through my memories back to when I had last seen EX5 altogether in one place. Indeed, it had been on a late evening the day before I had to leave to go on a long-term hunt and then head straight to Cross Academy without returning to the Association first. Although I hadn't immediately recognized what he was speaking about, the moment that I realized what he was referring to, the conversation that I had with everyone that night spread out in front of me like a crystal-clear map.

Somewhat stunned, I murmured, "But I told you guys as I was leaving that I would definitely be okay, so that you guys didn't need to worry about it."

"And we know you," he retorted easily as he pressed his back against the wall ledge. A slight smile was playing at the corners of his mouth as he half-chided, "Did you really think we bought that?"

"Are you calling me a liar?" I challenged, my eyebrows shooting up to my hairline. I hated liars, and I often tried to be as honest as I could. There were some little white lies here and there, but I could never stand having people lie to me. I supposed that was why I wasn't as torn up about _that _incident, which had happened a bit under five years ago, as people would have thought.

Meeting my eyes squarely, Al said in an unperturbed voice, "I can't call you a liar if it's a different alternative of the truth. Your unease was obvious."

I didn't know what to think. There had never been a time in which I had given it any thought that they would figure out the way I twisted my answer to sound as if I was answering their question, yet was speaking of something else entirely. When had they noticed? Why hadn't they said anything until now? Was it just Al that knew about it?

The question that was frequently asked—"Are you alright?"—was a question that I saw could be answered truthfully almost ninety-five percent of the time. After all, it was a vague question. Being emotionally alright was completely different from being physically unharmed, yet the inquiry never specified _what _about the person was okay. Ninety-five percent of the time, my body was genuinely unharmed due to the fast regenerative abilities that all vampires had, and do to the sturdiness of our vampire build.

What had given me away? This secret that I had thought nobody else but myself would know—how'd they figure it out?

"Let me try reading your mind," Al suggested. He continued on before I could say anything to protest, "You're thinking, 'How did they find out? What gave me away to them?' and the answer's actually really simple. Ivy, you know just as well as I do that each of us could be any others' back of their hands."

"That's true," I admitted, "but—"

Intervening before I could finish what I wanted to say, Al stated matter-of-factly, "Right, down, and then direct contact with the other person."

The word slipped out of my mouth in bewilderment before I could help it. "Huh?"

"That's the movement of your eyes when you're not telling the correct kind of 'truth,'" Al replied as he looked away from me. He shut his eyes, shifting slightly where he sat almost as if he could actually get comfortable. "Then your left foot shifts back just slightly. All of those things—you do them in such small movements that it's practically unnoticeable. Nearly invisible."

Doubt was laced into my voice as I stared at the man in front of me, feeling slightly bitter at myself that I had done such things without even realizing it. How had I not recognized my own habits, despite always being so conscious of myself? "Well, clearly 'nearly invisible' isn't as invisible as it sounds."

"Nope, it really is as indistinguishable as it sounds." Al popped the "p" in the first word, his eyes fluttering open and meeting mine piercingly as he said the next sentence. "We just watch you a lot."

"Is that supposed to flatter me?" I asked him quietly, not understanding. I didn't get what was going on—why did I feel like I was being excluded from something so important? I felt like I was an oddball suddenly, like the black sheep. When had all these issues so unknown to me start appearing?

A soft chuckle escaped the carrot-eyed hunter. "Take it how you will, but don't you want to find out the truth?"

"It's what I'm waiting for," I returned patiently, staring at him with mild expectance.

The corner of his lips tugged upwards as he pushed the collar of his already semi-unbuttoned dress shirt away from his neck. Stretching his arms out as if waiting for an embrace, he said, "Alright then. C'mere."

Incredulity tainted my tone. "'Alright then. C'mere' _what_? What do you think you're doing?"

"I told you earlier during the meeting that I'm not letting it slip," Al reminded me. "How much blood did you lose? Besides, I really can't describe our feelings to you properly with something as insufficient as words. It's easier this way, and we're killing two birds with one stone."

I shot him a glower, uncomfortable with this. "_Al_."

He let out a sigh, rolling his eyes. As if he could actually read my mind, he asked in an exasperated voice, "Can you forget about that guy for, I don't know, _five seconds _and just get over here?"

"No, I can't just—"

"If it makes you feel better, he can have his share from me later or whatever," Al cut me off. "Although I really can't imagine him taking any of my blood anyways. And he sure as hell won't be taking any of yours if he knows you're running low on it, so stop being stubborn."

It was true—the mere thought of Zero going to Al and asking for blood was hardly imaginable. The thing was that Al didn't understand how painful it must be for Zero to have to hold back his thirst. As vampires that always felt a dull throbbing in their throat, yet never actually felt like blood was something that we _needed, _EX5 could never comprehend just how difficult it was for regular vampires like Zero to struggle to keep himself in control.

But that didn't mean we didn't have to _try_.

"Al, I really don't think it's the best idea," I insisted. "I'm fine, anyways. I really didn't lose as much blood as you think. And our blood cells regenerate a lot faster than a normal person's, so it's okay. I'll be back in perfect shape before you know it."

"Stubborn," he muttered with a sigh. His lips curled over his teeth to show off the longer, sharper canines that all vampires had—they obviously extended when about to feed, but even when restricted, they were pretty large. Before I could even ask him what he was doing, he punctured a hole in his thumb and swiped the bleeding thumb over the spot of his neck that gave the most access to the blood flowing in that area.

My throat was bombarded with a sharp pain, my body automatically reacting to the smell of his blood. Normally, things like thirst and blood never affected EX5, simply because we weren't like other vampires. However, it was times like these that told us that we weren't nearly as tamed as we'd like to be.

Before I could slip off of the window seat completely, Al latched his hand around the crook of my elbow and pulled me toward him. With one arm wrapping around me securely, the other went to the back of my head and pushed it so that my lips were hovering directly over the blood-smeared skin of his ivory neck.

"It's okay, Ivy," Al murmured into my ear quietly, reassuringly.

"Why are you comforting me?" I muttered, trying to sound bitter because I already knew the reason why. The words came out in an absentminded tone, though, as the sweet and alluring smell of the crimson red liquid sent my senses into chaos. My mind felt hazy, my throat burning. A feeling of complete thirst hit me, almost as if I had been stranded in a desert and hadn't had a single drop of water for years. Even though I tried so hard to resist, I could feel my body moving on its own as my arms wrapped around Al, trapping him so that he couldn't escape even if he wanted to.

The brunette vampire let out a small chuckle, seeming unaffected by it. "Just like I thought; you can't resist me."

"What are you saying?" I managed to get out through the bloodlust that clouded my mind. I didn't want to do something like this—I didn't want to drink from Al, even if it meant that I'd understand things that I hadn't before. Especially if it was here, at the Association Headquarters. Yet, even though I kept screaming at myself to stop, I could feel the pain of my canines stretching out into fangs, my arms tightening around the orange-eyed hunter. The tip of my fangs brushed along the drying line of blood that decorated Al's neck, my mouth opening as I prepared to bite down.

Hesitation chained me for a moment as I remembered the feeling of getting the blood drained out of my own body.

Smoothly, as if he'd done it a million times before, Al's fingers carefully, gently, pushed my hair over one of my shoulders so that he could run a feather-light touch along the bandaged punctures that I had gained. "Don't worry, it's not the same. You remember, right? That it's completely different. So it's okay, Ivy. I want to."

"Sorry, Al," I breathed before hearing, as well as feeling, my fangs tearing easily through his skin and layers of tissues. He didn't even flinch, his arms cradling me gently.

And as his warm blood flooded into my mouth to attempt and ease the parched feeling, I couldn't help but feel slightly relieved. The flow of the dark rose liquid was steady, and it tasted so unbelievably amazing. The taste of blood was indescribable—there _was_ a metallic tang to it, but every individual's blood had a different flavour to it. It had a certain _feel_. Al's blood conveyed feelings of protectiveness and determination.

Then, like I was being pulled in by a strong current, I found myself being thrown into one of Al's memories. I was experiencing everything from his point of view—from that night before I left and a few other nights staggered in time afterwards. I saw what he saw, felt what he felt. The thoughts that had gone through his mind in those situations were also presented to me, echoing inside my mind in a voice that sounded like Al's, but was also faintly different.

Grasping what he had been speaking about earlier, I somehow found enough willpower to pull my fangs out of his neck. Swallowing the last bit of the thick blood that was in my throat, I covered my mouth with the back of my hand as my tongue flickered out to run along my lips.

I tilted my head up to look at Al, who met my eyes with his own. "Thank you."

"Is that all you have to say?" he inquired, cocking an eyebrow at me expectantly.

"Yeah," I nodded. A smile crept up on my face as I stared at him. "I was saying thanks for two things, you know? I appreciate everything, Al. I really do, but I'm not a kid anymore. Fairy tales and happy clichés don't exist."

"You're right—they don't." He shrugged casually, acting like it didn't matter. "The world is a cruel, unfair place. That doesn't mean it's okay to shut everything out, though."

"It's almost like you're _encouraging _me," I commented with surprise painted thinly on my voice.

Al scoffed, his features rearranging themselves into a childish scowl. "As if."

"Oh?" I looked at him, entertained. "Then what were you saying just a second ago?"

"I wasn't referring to _him_," Al retorted, disbelief etching itself onto his face and tainting his tone. "I was _obviously _talking about myself. For the love of cake, you need to start taking me seriously."

A small laugh left me, a soft smile on my face. I already knew that Al was being extremely sober about the situation despite his jokes. He could try to cover up his real feeling as much as he wanted, but I knew. Everything that he had been feeling and thinking had opened up to be like a book while I had been drinking from him.

"Speaking of which," Al continued on, a more solemn tone entering his voice, "did he ask you anything yet? Although, judging from both your reactions earlier today, I doubt he did."

I didn't even try to play dumb. "Not really."

The brunette in front of me made a soft sound of musing. "Are you prepared for it? I mean, Casanova Junior practically sold you out."

Amusement danced in my eyes at the nickname he had for Arashi. Al had been calling the youngest Tashiro that name ever since the moment he'd been born. How he had conjured up such a nickname or how he was able to stick with it for the past six years, I would never know.

Yet, the entertainment came and went in the blink of an eye. Bringing my attention back to the graver situation at hand, I shook my head. My lips pressed together into a thin line for a moment. "I don't know. I don't _feel _like I'm ready, but I also get the feeling that I'd probably never be ready for such a thing, even if you gave me an entire lifetime to prepare for it."

"Are you actually going to answer anything if he asks you?" Al spoke casually, a few strands of his hair falling into his eyes. He brushed them away with a hand, the action reminding me that the two of us were still in extremely close proximity with the other. I wasn't sure if he noticed it and was just ignoring it, or if he was truly just oblivious to that fact.

"It depends on what he asks, don't you think?" I offered a small upward tilt of the lips.

A contemplative sound left Al's lips. "I'm surprised that he didn't ask yet, to be honest. I mean—the hair, the tattoo, the necklace..."

"It's called style," I informed the exotic-eyed vampire in regards to my unusual hairstyle. While some found it odd how my hair was naturally loosely curled or wavy, many more people found it even stranger at how it was cut. "And lots of people have tattoos—he has one himself. Plus everyone wears jewelry."

"Style?" Al raised an eyebrow at me, pulling at one of the longer strands of hair I had. Shorter strands framed my face, but the hair on my left side fell to my waist and the hair on my right side only reached an inch past my shoulder. From the right side to the left, the strands eventually got longer and longer, creating a diagonal line if you looked at it from the back.

"Yup," I answered easily.

Al chuckled, but his eyes told me that he already knew the truth behind it. Shaking his head, he ran a hand through his already-dishevelled locks of hair. "Maybe it would've been better if it wasn't you who was sent to Cross Academy."

My heart seemed to contort painfully in my chest as his words resounded in my ears. My hands clenched into tight fists at my sides. That was impossible. "I think so too."

"You do?" Al's voice was coloured with slight surprise as well as skepticism. "If that's the case, you never would've met him, you know. You were so excited. You wanted to meet him for the longest time, and now that you have, you're telling me that you think it'd be better if you didn't?"

I had almost forgotten that Al had no idea about my situation. After all, he wasn't nearly as deeply involved enough with the Tashiro affairs to have known. "It's not like I'm not happy to meet him, it's just..."

"It's just...?" he prompted.

It was silent for a moment as I tried to gather my thoughts and arrange them properly. How could I explain it without getting him involved? Slowly, I started, "If I was given the option of meeting him, under all the conditions that are put onto me right now, in this reality, and the option of never meeting him, yet _not_having such circumstances placed upon me... I would choose never meeting him."

"And why's that?" Al's eyes were practically glowing in the darkness of the dimly-lit room.

"Because," I murmured softly, "this is the worst way for me to meet him. Out of all the other chances and other possibly ways, why did it come to this? This kind of meeting... I don't want it."

His gaze seemed to sharpen into a piercing stab. "Ivy, I don't think I'm following here. Either you're much more hung over on what we are, or there's something else that's bothering you." His hand shot out and gripped my wrist. "What's going on?"

I avoided his eyes, shaking my head. I attempted to pull my wrist away from his grasp, but his hand only clenched around it tighter. "It's nothing that you need to concern yourself with, Al."

He scoffed incredulously. "The hell it's not. I have a bad feeling about this, Ivy. Tell me. I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong."

Ah, his words reminded me so much of what I had said to Zero not too long ago. But it seemed so different in this kind of situation. I _knew _that I could help Zero's thirst back then—it was a sure thing. A fact. Right now, right here with Al, it wasn't a fact.

It would only be a hope.

"Al," I said in a quiet voice, "even if I told you, you wouldn't be able to help. Not this time. You have no idea how much I want to tell you, but I can't. I just—I _can't_, Al. I can't say anything. But it's because it's like this that you need to trust me, okay?" My eyes met his, and my throat closed up a bit at the thoughts whirling around through my head. "I promise you that I won't do anything that'd disappoint you guys."

A myriad of emotions fluttered through Al's expression, having fun as they teased his features and waltzed in his eyes. He seemed momentarily stunned, as if my words had slapped him in the face. I watched him carefully, trying to decipher what he was thinking, but he recovered from my words quickly. Wrapping his arms around me, he tucked my head under his chin and sighed.

"Al?" I asked him, confused.

"I don't get it," he admitted in his faintly husky voice. "I don't get what's going on with you right now at all. But don't say something like, 'I won't do anything that'd disappoint you.'"

I gave a small shake of my head, which was relatively difficult with our positions. I shut my eyes and exhaled. "You don't understand it, but... I know that if I actually follow through with it, you'd be disappointed in me. Everyone would be."

"That's the thing, though," he said. "You don't _want _to follow through with whatever it is, right? Then that's enough."

"No, it's not," I disagreed softly. It was always like this—people thought that, as long as it wasn't intentional, forgiveness would be given. They thought that because it wasn't someone's purpose, then that meant it would be okay.

It wouldn't be.

Because there was no way that someone could change how they feel about something simply because what had occurred wasn't what the other party wanted to do. Just because it wasn't deliberate, it didn't mean that the person didn't lose what they had lost. It didn't mean that the fact it actually _happened_ would be vetoed. Because it _did_ happen. And it _did_affect people.

And it was because of this that, "It wasn't what I wanted to do" couldn't make things okay. It didn't change anything, didn't fix anything. It didn't truly make things "okay."

Al stayed quiet for a moment, as if running it through his head once more. Chuckling faintly, he confessed, "Okay, so it probably really isn't 'enough,' but... Everything will work out fine." His quiet voice held a tone of confidence—almost arrogance—as he said it, something that confused me. He sounded so convinced of it.

"How are you so sure?" I asked him, my words practically mumbled out.

His voice was laced with amusement and cockiness, but the warmth in it was undeniable. "Well, you've got _me _for one thing."

I scoffed before letting out a small laugh. "I almost forgot that you're a hero."

"I'm offended," he played along. "How can you forget, even or a second, about me and my heroic deeds? It should be a crime. I'm _Al Riggs_, sweetheart."

"Your heroic deeds include picking up pennies off the street and saying that now, people won't crouch down to pick them up and block everyone else's way," I made up. Al actually never even noticed whenever there were coins on the floor, but the thought of him doing such a thing was pretty Al-like.

He pulled us apart to mock-scowl at me. "Is that how you think of me?"

"Yeah," I nodded my head, grinning at him.

"Ouch." He faked a wounded expression, bringing his hand to his heart. "You hurt me right here."

"You've hurt a million girls right there, Casanova," I retorted, rolling my eyes even though I was grinning. I had a feeling that he called Arashi "Casanova Junior" because he, himself, was just plain "Casanova." Normally, I'd just tease him about such a thing, but it was true that Al was sought after by many females.

He didn't even need to think about it. "Well, of course. Who can resist _me_?"

Shoving him lightly on the shoulder in response to his conceitedness, I asked, "But really, what have you been up to recently?"

"Raids, hunts, the usual," he answered dismissively. "There's really nothing new."

"What about Nao or Junko? I didn't really have a chance to speak with them when I saw them earlier today." I took note of how it was already one o'clock, which signaled the start of Al's shift. At two, there was no doubt Cheryl would appear to take his place. If we did a full rotation with all members, then that meant that Zero's shift would end at six, and by that time, everyone would already start getting up.

Al gave it some thought. "Junko's actually been with me the entire time, so she's been doing what I've been doing. Nao got sent to Tokyo with a few other hunters to attend some meetings and—"

At this point, I had to interrupt him. "Meetings? _Nao_? What were the meetings about?" Even though I had a feeling I already knew, I couldn't help but ask.

He didn't try to hide it. "Meetings regarding the matters of EX5."

A moment of silence cuddled us as his words sunk in. It was obvious that there were different Associations set up all around the world. The Association where we were was the headquarters of the branches in the country. EX5 was the only time that such a thing—where hunters became vampires and remained sane—occurred. Many other branches had objected and voiced aloud their disapproval, and even now, it was evident that they looked down on our branch because of such a thing.

Since Nao was the oldest out of everyone in EX5, he was the one that had to deal with a lot of the problems. One of the conditions that allowed EX5 to remain—for us to still be alive—would be reports regarding our activities and such being sent to other branches every three months, and we were required to pay occasional visits to actually prove that we were as sane as we claimed to be. Nao was usually the one to attend these, though we had all been to one before. It wasn't as if none of us volunteered to go, but it was simply because Nao never told us when the meetings would take place. It was almost as if he believed he should shoulder it all alone because he was the oldest.

"I see," I managed to say eventually. I wondered how he was feeling after having to go through another one of those horrible conferences.

"Yeah," Al sighed. "He's such an asshole. He really needs to just learn that it's okay if we go sometimes, too. It's not as if he's alone in this."

Running a hand through my hair, I murmured, "He's being an idiot..."

"I decked him the moment he came back," Al said lightly, a grin on his face when I looked at him. Eyes sparkling, he stated, "It made me feel a hella lot better."

Unable to help it, I laughed. I didn't need to ask to know that a brawl between the two of them had broken out afterward. "I really wish he'd just tell us about it. Even if he doesn't allow any of us to go alone, at least he wouldn't have to do it all by himself."

"The moment you mention it, his face just sours." Al rolled his eyes. "Good luck trying to convince him, though you probably have a better chance than anyone else. Junko's tried, but it hurts her when Nao snaps at her. Cheryl and Nao just blow up. Just being in the same room as them could possibly kill you. The anger in there is suffocating."

"And you?" I quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Do you even need to ask?" Al's lips were twisted into a half-smile. "We just start beating each other up after a while. At least if it's you, none of that happens. The only person whose words Nao would actually think about would be yours. He just blows everyone else off."

"That's because you guys don't know how to handle Nao properly," I retorted. "Junko's too gentle, and you and Cheryl are too rough. There needs to be _some _sort of balance."

Al pointed out, "And that's where _you _come in. Talk to him, alright? We're all counting on you. If he doesn't listen, then it's a lost cause."

"I'll try," I told him. Pausing, I asked, "And what about Cheryl?"

Lips pursing slightly, Al ran a hand through his hair again and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's best if you ask Cheryl directly what she's been doing."

Raising an eyebrow at him, I asked, "Why?"

"Because you'd want to hear it from her, not me," Al replied solemnly. He looked so serious as he stared at me, I couldn't help but feel a bit anxious about it. What could Cheryl have been doing these past few months that would cause Al to look at me like that? Yet, as his carrot eyes met mine, something struck me.

"It has something to do with Trance, doesn't it?" I asked him quietly. The mere thought of my fourteen-year-old brother had my heart clenching inside my chest. The last time I saw him was months upon months ago, but his freezing gaze and emotionless expression was still imprinted into my mind as clear as crystal.

"Yeah," Al admitted quietly.

Inhaling deeply and then exhaling all the air I had breathed in until I couldn't breathe out any more, I mumbled softly, "I see."

Once more, hush kissed us soundly. We were too absorbed in our own thoughts to make petty conversation, but his eyes burned into my skin as he watched me vigilantly. I stared straight ahead at his chest, my mind just kind of wiped blank except for Trance's face. But nothing else registered in my mind—it was just his eyes, his hair, his features. There were no thoughts except for that.

Before I could sink too deeply into my reverie, Al's voice dispersed the stillness that floated around us. "Hey, so what's it like at Cross Academy?"

Looking up at him to see Al peering down at me, it was clear that he was just trying to lighten up the mood. Understanding this, a sense of gratefulness flooded into my system and I smiled at him. Taking in a deep breath, I prepared to tell him all about it.

* * *

><p>Cheryl was going through her wardrobe trying to find me something that she found more suitable to wear. Even her pajamas were stylish and beautiful—she wore a silk nightgown that flowed down to her knees and was of designer brand. I merely sat on her bed watching her as she did so, taking notice that she did, in fact, have a bandage wrapped around her left forearm.<p>

Even though it was considered guard duty, we were pretty much allowed to do whatever we wanted as long as we were awake. After all, with our enhanced senses, we would be able to tell if any vampires were nearing, and our ears would pick up any disruptive sounds in the quiet that always followed the night.

She didn't look at me as she continued digging through her clothes. "You're not going to ask?"

"Ask what?"

She let out a scoff, and I could practically hear her roll her eyes. "Ask me about Trance, genius. You're curious about what's going on with him, right? I, like everyone else in this building, was still awake when Al was mentioning it."

I hesitated. "Is it something that I'd be better off not knowing?"

The blond beauty didn't answer, but just ploughed straight into her report. "I was one of the hunters with him when we got sent off to investigate an unusual case quite far away. Of course, it all went smoothly. There were no casualties. The kid, while cold and completely not cute personality-wise—it'll be a miracle if he ever gets a girlfriend, if you ask me—is definitely the prodigy that he's made out to be."

What she said didn't surprise me in the least. I already knew that Trance was a genius. There was no doubt that everyone in the Association, no matter who it was, respected him in some way. His skills and his intelligence surpassed numerous people.

"Is that it?" I asked her, hugging one of her pillows.

At this point, she halted in her movements for a moment before resuming them. Her action made my eyebrows furrow together, a frown automatically pulling on my lips. "There were no injuries on him, Ivy. Not a scratch. No dust was on his coat, not a single hair was out of place on his frosty little head when we got back."

Something churned inside me, and a sudden fear struck me. I almost didn't want to know. "And then?"

This time, she turned around and looked at me. Her slender arms were crossed over her large chest, her azure eyes narrowed fiercely in a suspicious way. "Two days after we returned, I bumped into him again. I didn't notice it at first because he was being so careful about hiding it, but I saw him again later that day and that's when I realized it."

"Cheryl," I encouraged softly when she stopped again.

"His arm," she stated lowly. "His arm was broken."

My heart felt like it stopped for a moment, water from the Arctic replacing my blood as it rushed through my veins. My fingernails dug into the fabric of her pillow until it pierced through completely, earning a small sound of protest from the blond hunter. My throat felt a bit tight as I forced out, "Did you find out why?"

"If I did, I would've already said so," Cheryl replied. Her eyes scrutinized me carefully, trying to see if I would do something stupid.

"What—" I stopped myself, shaking my head. I took in a deep breath, trying to calm my raging emotions. I didn't even know what I was feeling. I wanted to do nothing more than go hunt down my younger brother and demand to know what had happened to him, but I knew that it wouldn't make anything better at all. Rather, I knew that he would only get angry if I showed up.

After all, we were both aware of one another's positions in the other's life.

I loved him, yet our relationship would never be the way I wanted it to be. It was heartbreaking to know—to fully understand—that the reason we had turned out this way was because of me. It was all because of what I had done, and no matter who looked at the situation, they couldn't deny it.

It wasn't a matter of opinion—it was fact.

"I asked him about it," Cheryl informed me as she turned back to her wardrobe and began going through it again. "He said he went on a solo hunt and that was why it got broken."

"He was lying." It wasn't even a question.

Cheryl didn't need to confirm it. "I don't understand him."

"You say it almost like I do," I noted bitterly.

"You're right—you don't know anything about him," she agreed bluntly.

I remained silent, burying my face into the pillow that I had ruined. My eyes shut as I tried to piece everything together, but I just couldn't understand it. My worry for him conquered over everything else, but even then, he wouldn't want this concern that I had for him. What was I supposed to do? What _could _I do?

Cheryl was right. I didn't know anything about Trance at all—not deeply, at the very least. I didn't know him the way that Lydia or Satoshi or Arashi knew him. It was upsetting and depressing to think about—that, even though we were so close, we were always so far away from each other. No matter what I did, the distance between us wouldn't be closed. I couldn't step into his world, just like how he wouldn't step into mine.

"I'll try asking Satoshi or Lydia about it the next time I see them," Cheryl notified me. I could feel her eyes burn into my head for a second before the sensation disappeared. "Don't look so ridiculously pathetic, Ivy. You know just as well as I do that wallowing in self-pity like that won't do anything."

"I can't do anything _but _drown myself in despair," I dryly stated.

"Not true," she objected. The sound of clothes being taken off hangers reached my ears, and sure enough, some articles of cloth landed on top of my head. "Put that on, and don't you even _try_ resisting. You take that off before tomorrow's shower and I'm going to burn all your other clothes so that you'll have no choice but to wear _my _clothes the entire time here."

Unfortunately, I knew that Cheryl wasn't lying. There had been a time when she had ripped all of Junko's pajamas into shreds and then threw them in the fireplace because she didn't approve of what the younger girl was wearing. Needless to say, we always took Cheryl's threats seriously when it came to the safety of our clothes.

Lifting my head up from the pillow reluctantly, I pulled the pieces of cloth off of my head unenthusiastically, holding them out for me to assess. One of them was a frilly tube top, followed by a super small jean skirt. Just looking at them made me want to choke.

"_No_, Cheryl," I rejected firmly.

Her eyebrows rose upwards. "Do you want your clothes to die?"

Shaking my head, I threw her clothes back at her. "Get something from the clothes I brought over."

She looked like I had told her I was going to marry Nao. "Are you joking with me? You probably didn't bring anything better than what you're currently wearing."

"Not true," I denied, a smile playing along my lips. "I knew that you'd do something like this, so I packed relatively decent things. _Please_, Cheryl? I really don't want to wear this stuff." I stared up pleadingly into her hard, criticizing eyes, hoping that she would agree to it.

Narrowing her eyes for a moment, she relented, "Fine, but if there's nothing in there and it turns out that you just wasted my time, then I'm going to destroy you."

Ah, the smell of victory. "Fine."

She huffed in irritation as she hung back up her clothes, mumbling under her breath about how I was being ungrateful. As we left her room and began heading towards mine, she said, "You owe me a pillow, by the way."

I laughed. "I'll get you new one later, I promise."

"You better," she retorted immediately. She glanced at me briefly from the corner of her eyes. A sadistic smirk began to curl at her lips, setting off alarms in me. Before I could say anything, she dropped the bomb. "So how's it going with that piece of hot ass?"

Choking on my saliva, I thumped on my chest with a fist as I coughed violently. Cheryl looked amused at my reaction to her words, but I could only stare up at her with wide, horrified eyes. "W-What?"

"You heard me."

"I—you—_Cheryl_," I tried desperately, running a hand through my hair. I felt embarrassment wash over me, but it was just at the way she had phrased her words. I didn't even know what to say. There were so many times that Cheryl surprised us with how she said things, it was almost impossible to know when she would knock you speechless next.

The sapphire-orbed vampire hunter rolled her eyes. "What? You can't possibly say that he isn't gorgeous. He's even more beautiful than any other male specimen out there, vampire or not. And _that's _saying something."

"If Al heard that, he'd throw a fit." I hoped that she didn't notice I was trying to change the subject, but there was no such luck.

"Don't think you can escape from this conversation, Ivy," Cheryl told me frankly. "What, are you saying he's not good-looking? Are you blind? Do you need to get your eyes checked? Are you not interested in men?"

I slapped my hands to my face and dragged them downwards. "No! I mean—_what_?" I had absolutely no problem with homosexuals, but I was attracted solely to men.

"Is he attractive or not?" Cheryl demanded from me sternly.

Immediately, my mind flashed to the future President of the Association. I remembered his ridiculously entrancing mauve eyes that looked like they were black holes as they pulled you in, but were also shields of crystal ice. The image of how his straight stands of silver hair, looking as if they had been weaved out of the lights of stars, fell into his eyes. I had always noticed how his long, silver eyelashes would brush along the tops of his cheekbones in a loving caress every time he blinked, and his strong, prominent jaw-line was even more beautiful than any sculpture, no matter who the artist was. He would have them bowing at his feet, begging him to let them try and attempt to imprison his beauty that could not be captured.

"I—he's—I mean..." When Cheryl shot me a glower, I surrendered and murmured almost inaudibly, "He's mesmerizing, Cheryl."

But it wasn't just because of his looks. It was the misery that shone in his amethyst orbs. It was the way his features were always prancing with scowls or frowns—the way he always looked like he was suffocating. It was the way his eyes never sparkled. The way he was so reserved, so enclosed. It was the walls that he built up, trying to protect himself and keep others out. Everything about him—_every single thing _about Kiriyuu Zero was entrancing.

Cheryl snickered. "So you _do _know how to appreciate men."

I gave her an exasperated look, my eyes showing just how embarrassed I was at her statement. I hoped with all my might that he was not listening in on our conversation. I could feel a slight heat on my face, and I shook my head to try and rid myself of those thoughts about the silver-haired male. "Well, yeah..."

By now, we were already inside the room I would be occupying temporarily. She went over and opened up my duffle bag, immediately starting her search through it. She rolled her eyes at some of the clothes in there more than once. I lost count after the fifth time, because it hadn't even been over a minute yet.

"So, have you jumped that hot eye-candy yet?" Cheryl asked casually, making it sound as if it wasn't a big deal.

"He has a name," I told her flatly, trying not to let her choice of words affect me.

"You're not denying it," she almost sang.

I sighed, giving her an unpleasant look. "No."

"And why not?" She sounded like she disapproved, and as her eyes met mine in a short glimpse, it was clear that she was. "What could possibly be stopping you? If it was me, I'd probably have shoved him into my room a long time ago."

"I'm not as bold as you are," I told her blandly. "Besides, trust me—you wouldn't have done anything if you were in my position, either."

"Oh, please tell me why I wouldn't, because I can't think of anything that could possibly stop me." Cheryl, without even looking over her shoulder, tossed one of my shirts into the garbage can that somehow made it to the center of the room. I made a noise of objection that she ignored.

I was about to go and retrieve the attire, only to stop myself. She would probably make a fuss if I did. Deciding to just let it be, I remained where I sat cross-legged on my bed. Keeping my eyes trained on her, I said, "He's in love with someone, Cheryl."

She paused in her movements, her head whipping over to look at me. Her eyebrows shot up, and she sounded almost skeptical as she asked, "Oh really now?"

"Yup."

"And who is this woman that's captured the heart of that lady-killer?"

"An equally beautiful and breathtaking female specimen?" I tried, my thoughts immediately flashing to the Kuran Pureblood with hair and eyes that looked like they belonged to angels.

Cheryl only looked more interested. "Huh. Do I know her?"

"Nope. Not personally, at least."

"Are you going to tell me her name?" Her voice was expectant and laced with irritation.

"Actually, no, I'm not."

"Hey, do you _want _me to strangle you?"

"It's not my business, Cheryl. I can't really say anything about him and his own personal matters."

"Then don't spark my curiosity like that in the first place!" She threw her hands up in the air in annoyance, her lips twisting into a grimace as she shot me a dirty look.

With one of my eyebrows raised upward, I pointed out, "You're the one that asked."

"I never thought you'd leave me hanging like that," she countered, a sour note weaved into her melodious voice. She continued trifling through my clothes, pulling out an off-shoulder long-sleeved shirt and holding it up in front of her. Her lips tightened as she analyzed it for a long moment, her eyes scanning the navy blue clothing. After another second, she approved and tossed it to me before returning to my duffle bag.

"I'd tell you to ask him yourself," I started off quietly, my eyes drifting away from her to stare up at the ceiling, "but I don't think that's the best idea."

"I don't know if I should expect this from you or not, Ivy," Cheryl confessed in aggravation. She tossed another piece of clothing into the trashcan before continuing, "You're usually like this with everyone. You treat him just like how you'd treat anyone else, but for some reason, it feels different. I don't understand it, but there's a certain feeling to it whenever you talk or seem to think about him. It's annoying, because I don't know if it's because you actually feel something special towards _him_, or if it's because of how you feel obligated to do it because he's like Ichiru. Because Ichiru is inside him."

Hearing the name of the younger Kiriyuu twin had my heart faltering in my chest. He had been an important person to everyone of EX5, not just me. His kindness and his unprejudiced attitude towards us had gotten us attached to him. His death was something that none of us had been expecting until the moment it came. Or, for me, until _that _moment came.

The moment in which we had our goodbyes—even in that very moment, I knew, deep in my heart, I'd never actually see the living being of "Kiriyuu Ichiru" again.

A sigh escaped me, and I shut my eyes as I let myself fall back onto the bed. "It's not because Ichiru is inside Zero, Cheryl. Zero is just Zero. My feelings are your feelings—Al's, Junko's, Nao's. What we feel towards Zero is all the same. He's someone that we need to protect."

"It's not the same," she disagreed, her voice fierce. Her eyes slid over to meet mine. "You've got history with him. Your feelings of protecting him are deeper than ours. He means more to you than he does to us, especially because of who we're trying to keep him from."

"And even _if _that's true, why does it matter?" I shot back at her. I didn't know what she was trying to imply with her words. Why did it matter how much he meant to me? Why did it matter if I felt a more desperate, rooted emotion when it came to protecting him? I didn't know what she was trying to say, and I didn't know if I wanted to know. I felt like she was accusing me of doing something wrong, even though I hadn't done anything.

Her sapphire eyes clashed violently with my own emerald and topaz ones, a tense stillness gripping us. I wondered if her eyes were able to shoot out lasers, because that's what I felt like she was trying to do. The level of intensity as she stared at me was almost startling, but I didn't allow myself to look away and yield.

Not this time.

Not when it came to this.

Cheryl looked away first, her lips pulled downwards into a grimace. Yet, as she tossed me a white, frilly skirt, I knew that the moment that had passed between us would be considered a draw. "Go change."

A slight smile tugged at my lips. "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

><p>I watched as Kaito disappeared around the corner, heading back to his room for another bit of sleep before waking up for the entire day. So far, there had been no disruptions in the night and no signs at all of vampires in the vicinity. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.<p>

Kaito had told me, right before I left, to go up and wake Zero. He would've done it himself, but I could tell that Kaito was tired. He told me that if he found out I tried skipping out on waking Zero, then he'd have my head. I said I would, of course, wake the future President up for his shift as a guard with me, yet I didn't specify _when _I'd wake the lilac-orbed male up.

After all, I didn't know what I'd do if I was stuck alone with him.

Just imagining the onslaught of question made me want to crawl into a hole and disappear somewhere. I knew that there was no way I could avoid anything he asked me, but that didn't mean I was excited to answer him. I didn't want to have one of those deep sessions where we spoke about my past and my feelings, because there was no way that he'd tell me about his.

Once more, the selfishness and bitterness of not wanting to give myself away surfaced.

Holding back a sigh, I stopped at one of the wooden ladders that leaned against one of the enormous shelves that the Association had. Like a labyrinth, the gigantic room was full of shelves that stretched from the floor all the way up to as high as the wall could go before the hemispheric glass ceiling took over. Brimming with books, whether old or modern, the library was solely for entertainment purposes opposed to the information library, which held novels containing all different kinds of knowledge on vampires, hunters, poisons, weapons, and the like.

Grabbing onto the sides of the ladder, I began to climb the steps until reaching a bit above mid-way. Holding onto the banister with one hand, I stretched out the other, my fingers hooking onto the top of a book's spine. I pulled it out of its slot easily, and didn't hesitate to jump down from the ladder. There was only a soft sound as my feet impacted with the ground, no pain in my ankles or feet whatsoever.

I had just settled myself in one of the large, comfy white armchairs in the corner of the library, starting the first page of the novel I had picked out, when the library doors slammed open. A familiar scent fluttered delicately into the room, wafting in the air intoxicatingly, and I felt my body freezing.

His footsteps were nearly inaudible as he weaved through the maze-like library, not even hesitating slightly about his destination. His aroma got stronger and stronger as he got closer and closer, and my grip on the book tightened.

My eyes shut in dread as his footsteps stopped.

"Tashiro."

Taking a moment to gather myself, I inhaled slowly, deeply, before opening my eyes and raising them to meet his. I had been hoping that I was going insane and that I was just imagining everything—I had hoped for another person to grace me with their presence, like Al or Kaito coming back for something he had forgotten.

But the scent was undeniable, and the person that stood in front of me—while almost too amazing to be true—was not a dream.

"Zero."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

DUNDUNDUNNNN!

YES, GUYS. I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING. "IS ZERO _FINALLY _GOING TO BECOME A MORE PROMINENT PART OF THE PLOT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER?" And the answer is YES, he will! (: It's going to be an awesome chapter to write, because not only will the entire next chapter be surrounded around Zero, but Ivy, as well.

YUP, YOU HEARD RIGHT. IVY'S PAST? NEXT CHAPTER? DONE. Or, well, part of it. =P

But anyways, I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter! I had so much fun writing it. I love writing about Ivy and about EX5. But, then again, like I said before, they _are _my OCs, so I might just be a biased author... xD But I genuinely DO hope that you guys like them as much as I do. (:

As always, I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes, spelling errors, and OOCness that may have occurred! Even though, y'know... There's really nobody canon in here. -SLAPPED-

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**sunnyvampire, Jade Starlight, Astin, ShadowSky, anayu123, AliceMarieSwan, xXMizukiXx, Chia Joey, Youknowwhothisis, and orihimekurosaki-ai**

Thank you guys so much for supporting me! You have no idea how much it means to me. And how awesome it makes you. =P

Also, thanks to everyone else who alerted and favourited!

RESPONSE TIME! Warning: upcoming walls of text! =P

To **sunnyvampire**;

I love Al and Cheryl's relationship. I really do. xD Maybe it's because I know everything about them, and that's why, but... Yeah. And ah, really? Mana's like you? That's pretty awesome. HAHA. She IS a mix of cheerfulness and calmness, which is something I'm glad you picked up on since that's what I intended. Yup, that was Arashi! LOL. Well, yes, Trance and Ivy aren't on good terms... Which was why I asked, but y'know. xD Thanks for your support, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! (:

To **Jade Starlight**;

TEARS. DO YOU SEE MY CRYING? TEARSSS. I'm just so touched with your compliments. Ahmygod. Thank you so much! You have no idea how much it means to me. HAHA. Yeah, I think that most people DO enjoy Al and Cheryl's relationship, which I'm so glad for, since they'll definitely be showing up in future chapters. EX5's matters and all will be revealed as the story goes along! But I DO think that you've got the fact that Ivy's kind of like the center-piece of the group. It's further proved in this chapter, but the reason WHY will be explained later on, so I hope you look forward to it! HAHA. Part of Ivy's past with Zero will be told in the next chapter, and a lot more hints dropped later on! Thank you so much for your praises. Really. xD I'm so glad that you're on board with me. I hope to hear from you often~ Thank you so much for your support, and I hope that you're happy with this update! ;D

To **Astin**;

LOL. You have a younger brother? I'm sure that he isn't as nasty as you make him out to be! And no way. Arashi's mine. Or the Tashiros'. Or... Well, I don't know. LOL. WHAT AM I SAYING? ASDGJLERB. I express everything in my keyboard spams, even though half the time, people get confused with how I feel. -SLAPPED- OTL. Thank you for your support, and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!

To **ShadowSky**;

I'm glad that you like long chapters! Half the time, I feel like my chapters are TOO long... I've actually been told that my readers break up the chapter into different sections to read 'cause they're so long. LOL. OTL. Well, I'm glad that you've reviewed for me! You have no idea how much it means to me, and I DO hope that I continue to hear from you! (: I'm glad that you love this story, and HAHA. YES. To be honest, I'm kind of glad that your mind is confused when it comes to Ivy. I designed her to be a very complicated and mysterious character in terms of how she REALLY feels. I think that out of all my OCs, she's probably the one that's the most complex despite her surface. I CAN'T WAIT FOR TRANCE TO APPEAR, TOO. ASDFGHJKL. I get so excited just thinking about it. I think that writing about Trance and Ivy will be a challenge, but it'd be so incredibly fun. I hope that you'll stick with me to see his appearance! I finally updated, so thank you for your support, and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! I hope to hear from you again! (:

To **anayu123**;

Thank you! I'm glad that you love this story, and I hope that you'll continue to read and review~ "Amazing"? Wow. That's a pretty strong word. LOL. But thanks. (: And it's not a bother; don't worry about it. I'm aware that there are, like... five hundred different ways to spell Zero's last name because different people translate it in a variety of ways. And I'm sorry if it bothers you, but I'll probably just stick with the way I write his name. OTL. I'M SORRY. T-T LOL. Ah... The thing is... I don't want to make Kaname out to be the bad guy. I don't know how it'll turn out, but maybe it'll happen! Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! (:

To **AliceMarieSwan**;

He's totally gonna be more in the spotlight in the next chapter. LOL. TRANCE IS IVY'S YOUNGER BROTHER. I hope that this chapter made that clear. -DIES- I know, I know. I have so many OCs that it's gonna get confusing. But in the Tashiro family, there are five siblings. From youngest to oldest, the order would be: Arashi, Trance, Ivy, Satoshi, and then Lydia. So Ivy's the middle child. I'M SORRY THAT MY CHAPTERS REQUIRE SPLITTING UP. T-T But I'm glad you love long chapters. I finally updated, so I hope that you liked it! Thank you for your continuous encouragement! (:

To **orihimekurosaki-ai**;

It's alright being a first-time reviewer! Just say your thoughts! xD And thank you, I'm glad that you love them! Ahh~ Yes, Shiki IS pretty amazing. LOL. And really? You think Riku's amazing? Ahhh... Hmm.. I'd probably have to disagree, but then again, I'm just being biased 'cause she's not my favourite OC. -SLAPPED-. I think that she's pretty similar to Rima though, don't you agree? ;O LOL. It's not romantic... YET. Trust me, the romance will hit you later on in the chapters. Despite being ten chapters in at the moment, I'm still just setting everything up before everything truly starts rollin'. In this fanfic, Zero's still in love with Yuuki, so it's going to take some time before anything really happens. =P I hope that you can stick with me through it all! And I'm happy that you think the plot is interesting. -grins- I try. Aw, you have a younger brother, too? That's cute. How is he doing? -grins- I'm glad that you like all my OCs! I personally love every single one of them, but that's probably a given. XD A TakumaxOC fanfic? To be honest, I don't think I'll ever attempt that. OTL. I find that Ichijou is an extremely hard character to write about, because he seems SOOOO much more complex than he lets on, and the manga is only starting to touch it. Don't worry; I actually really love long reviews. HAHA. I hope to hear from you more often; don't be afraid of just telling me your thoughts! I don't bite. Thank YOU for reading, and for your support! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! (:

WALLS OF TEXT? DONE. Phew. xD

And that's basically it... EXCEPT FOR A FEW MORE THINGS. -DIES-

One: Is it just me or did the review thing change? For anonymous reviewers, you can't put your name in the box, right? So you're just called "guest" BUT. I don't want that! If you're an ANON REVIEWER, SIGN YOUR NAME AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR REVIEW! Because that way, I can actually address YOU. I don't want to have to call every single one of you "Guest." I want to be able to call you by whatever you want me to call you, which I'm hoping is your name, but y'know.

Two: I'm so sorry if the words after the italicized ones are strung together! I used to be able to fix it, but everything is just kind of strange now. I tried skimming through the chapter and fixing it, but I'm not quite sure if I caught every single one. So I apologize to you guys for that! I know that it sucks. I'll try my best to fix it before the next update!

And three...

**QUESTION: What do you think happened to Zero and Ivy in the past?**

A large chunk of that will be answered in the next chapter, so I want to be able to hear your thoughts!

Well, that's... basically it, I think.

I'll try my best to update when I can, but July's going to be SO busy for me. -sigh- I'm really looking forward to updating this story again, though. Just thinking about it is exciting. HAHA.

But yeah. I don't think I have much more to say, except that I hope you guys will continue to support me. (:

As always, I have to tell you guys that I appreciate it so much. So thank you. Really.

Feel free to tell me what you think! Anything is fine; love it, hate it, like it. I'd love to hear your reasons why, too! Trust me, I don't bite. HAHA.

So drop me a review if you want to share what you think and to start a discussion! If not, send me a PM! xD

I hope to update and speak with all of you guys soon! (:

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	11. Breaking Butterflies

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight. It belongs solely to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N:  
><strong>  
>HOW ARE ALL OF YOU GUYS DOING? (: Is summer treating you guys right? =P<p>

Yesyes, I'm back! I actually didn't think I'd be able to update this quickly because July is KILLING me. It really is. But something has been motivating me ( and totally distracting me from my school work ) and that's going to be... -drum rolls-

**~*~* ART! *~*~**

YES, YOU GUYS HEARD RIGHT. I received a wonderful masterpiece of Ivy during the time that I didn't update, so I was rushing like a madwoman to get this chapter out and share the beautiful picture to the world. TRUST ME. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. I DON'T EVEN-HOW? There are no words to describe how breathtaking it is. I ended up staring at it for the LONGEST time, and it's still opened up in a tab as I'm typing this. It's been a tab on my browser the moment I got the link to it. It's been days. I DON'T- HOWWWW? I've said that a million times, but seriously. OKAY, BUT ANYWAYS.

The person who decided to grace me with her beautiful, breathing, astonishing, -insert a million praises here- would be **KuroNightroad**. Her dA name is **Devils-Lock**, so you guys HAVE to go check out her gallery full of other amazing artwork! To those of you who know my other fanfic, Shitsuren, Kuro actually created the picture of Riku in her dress! So I'll stop talking.

_**BUT THIS IS**** IMPORTANT:**_Because for whatever reason, fanfic hates me and hates links, an IMPORTANT PART is missing from the link down below. **After "deviantart" INCLUDE ".(YES, YOU NEED THE PERIOD, and then follow it up with a three letter word that starts with c, has o in the middle, and m at the end! AND THEN ADD A / AFTER IT "!**

www. devils-lock. deviantart gallery/ # / d56p1d0

Just **take out the spaces**! FABULOUS? OH YES. I KNOW. Some of you guys might be wondering why Ivy's left eye looks more reddish-brown than yellow, and NO, it wasn't Kuro's mistake! When Kuro tried making her eye a bright yellow, she ended up looking like she was blind in one eye, so that's why. But DO keep in mind that Ivy's eyes are green and yellow. NONETHELESS, WHAT IS WITH KURO'S SKILLS? SOMEONE, I DON'T- WHAT?

**If any of you guys want to do artwork based on Heterochromia's OCs, feel free to PM me! (:**

And I KNOW that the walls of text are probably killing you already, but Kuro's art was just that amazing. -DIES-

But as much as I'd like to end it here and tell you guys to read the chapter, there's one more thing that I need to say!

HOW MANY OF YOU GUYS NOTICED THE REVIEW COUNT? YES, _HETEROCHROMIA REACHED ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS! _AASGNOWENBOWNBPWEBNPWEB. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY.

Thank you guys so much! Thank you so, so much for all of your support and your encouragement. I really couldn't have gotten past the first chapter if it hadn't been for you guys, and I can't even begin to express how happy I am or how grateful I am. I appreciate every single one of you who reviewed for me, and for all of you guys who read my work, even if you're a silent reader. Trust me, just knowing that someone is out there reading my work is an amazing feeling. When the hundredth review came in, I was just grinning like an idiot. I felt like I was the king of the world for a moment.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I think that a part of why this means so much to me is the fact that I know a lot of people don't like OC stories, and a lot of the time, people don't read them. So I think that having over a hundred reviews for an OC story is a tremendous deal, so THANK YOU SO MUCH. I could go on and on about how thankful I am to you, but I think I'd just be repeating myself over and over again.

I'll try my best to continue updating, and I'll try hard to improve my writing so that I can give you guys even better content and chapters. I'll definitely, _definitely, _continue writing this story with all that I can. I'll put my best into it, and I hope that it'll somehow be able to convey my absolutely indescribably feelings of gratitude to you guys.

You all mean so much to me, and I honestly couldn't have made it so far if it weren't for you guys. So I'll say it once more.

_Thank you so, so much._

And because, if you guys know me from Shitsuren, I always announce the person who sends in the review that sets the review count to a hundred or two hundred, etc. So I'll continue that with Heterochromia as well ( not that the rest of the reviews don't matter. I just like to announce it. ASNGOWENBEWPB.) The person who sent in the 100th review is _xxBrokendreamerxx!_ Thank you so much for sending it in, and for your support! It means a ton to me. (:

Now, I'll FINALLY stop talking and let you guys read the chapter! Read on, my loves, read on!

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER ELEVEN;**

_"Breaking Butterflies"_

* * *

><p>He stood with his arms folded across his broad chest, his expression less than pleased by a few miles. He was dressed in casual attire that I had never seen on him before. He wore a plain white dress shirt underneath a black sweater-vest that had its neckline rimmed with a thin white stripe. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and the first few buttons of the dress shirt were undone, no tie or bowtie slung around his neck. A pair of dark black pants covered his tremendously long legs. Needless to say, he looked stunning.<p>

With narrowed eyes, he stated, "You weren't going to wake me up for my shift."

"I was," I denied as I shut the book that I had barely started reading. Standing up from the armchair, I said honestly, "I just wasn't going to wake you up anytime _soon_."

Zero remained silent, his lavender eyes watching me carefully. His body was tense, his guard was up, and everything about him screamed for others to keep away. But I found it amusing how he wasn't even aware that his attitude and the walls he built around himself was probably one of the things that intrigued people the most.

"So what brings you here, Zero?" I asked him, curiosity tainting my tone even though I had a feeling I already knew. I weaved my way through the aisles of shelves, returning back to where I had originally gotten the book. His footsteps followed after me as I made strode back to the ladder. I started climbing it, remembering where the correct spot was, since it hadn't even been over ten minutes since I had last taken the novel out.

He was leaning his back against one of the bookshelves when I jumped back down after placing the book back where I had originally found it. "You already know why."

"I do," I admitted as I followed his actions and leaned against the bookshelf parallel to his. I stared at my feet as I continued, "But I _really _hoped that you wouldn't be here asking me about that stuff."

"You're not in luck," he answered. The light violet-eyed future President didn't beat around the bush, nor did he seem to like idle chit-chat as he went straight into it. "What kind of things have you been feeding your youngest brother, Tashiro?"

"Ivy," I corrected him. "I never said anything about what you called me before, since you had never met any of my siblings yet. I was the only Tashiro that you knew, but it's different now. With so many of us, it's best to call us by our given names or else it just gets confusing. Trust me—it's happened before."

His gaze burned into the top of my head. "Trying to change the subject?"

A short, small laugh escaped me. "How'd you know?"

"You're easy to read," he stated in his smooth velvet voice.

"So are you," I returned easily. The corner of my lips twitched upwards a bit at the glare he sent me. There was no way I could avoid this subject forever, and I had a feeling that if I dragged my stalling on for too long, it'd only irritate him to the point where our somewhat friendly relationship would be strained. So I admitted simply, "Well, what Arashi said is true. I _do _tell him stories about you."

"Why use me as your brother's bedtime stories?" Zero inquired, no humour at all present in his tone or in his eyes.

I didn't respond for a moment as I tilted my head up to stare up at the glass dome that served as the ceiling. An enormous chandelier hung down from the very tip of the half-sphere, the transparent glass allowing us to see what it was like outside. It was still dark, but the sky was a lighter shade of blue than it had been a few hours before. The stars were already retreating for the night, waiting for the next evening to fall.

For reasons unknown to me, my heart twisted slightly in my chest. Maybe it was the fact that he didn't remember. Perhaps it was because he seemed so aggravated by it, but I really felt like it was because I had _expected _him to remember, and he had let me down. It was so unfair to think this way, because after all, I understood. It had been so many years ago. It didn't mean as much to him as it did to me—that was the only reason I remembered, wasn't it?

Because a lot of the time, the memories were what had kept me sane.

After contemplating how to approach this subject without having my thoughts fly everywhere, I settled for humming a familiar tune. It was a melody that I didn't just memorize with my mind, but also in my heart. There had never been a time when the gentle, soothing song had failed to make me feel at ease. The automatic feelings of being loved, protected, and safe would flood into every fibre of my being, almost drowning me in such warm and strong sentiments.

I didn't know what expression crossed the older Kiriyuu twin's face as I continued humming the tune, but I noticed that he stiffened. Absentmindedly, my eyes shut, my hands idly coming up to clasp the gem that hung from my necklace.

Once again, the images that were blurred around the edges, yet so unbelievably clear, flashed through my mind like a movie playing inside my head. The pair blue eyes that had looked down at me that day, only to be replaced by lavender orbs afterwards, all seemed so crystalline in my recollections. The laughter from back then resounded through me, sending a tingling sensation throughout my body.

Warmth, love, happiness, family. At that time, they had all been present.

When the last note of the tune sounded and then began to faintly disappear between us, I felt my lips pull up into a slight smile. I relished in the emotions that the song brought me, and slowly opened my eyes. Turning my head back to look at the violet-eyed hunter, I could see the questions that swarmed around his eyes.

A small laugh escaped me before he could voice aloud his thoughts. "It's a beautiful melody, isn't it? I remember that I woke up one day, hearing someone singing that to me. I never forgot it, but I can't sing it like how you guys can. It seems different somehow. After a while, I felt like I'd never hear someone sing that to me again, and that was when Ichiru came along. Even then, when I managed to coax him into singing it for me again, I felt like it didn't sound quite like the one I was used to." I pushed myself off the shelf, my hands clenching tighter around the small square jewel.

"How do you know Ichiru?" Zero's quiet voice was demanding, fierce.

"I saw him again when we were being taken away," I told him, the day painting a picture inside my mind. "Ichiru seemed to remember me. He appeared at the building one day, and when I asked him what he was doing here and how he knew where we were, he said he had followed us on the first day when we had been taken away, but he never had the chance to visit. He always, always took time out of his life to come and visit us. It was so dangerous—if he had gotten caught, I can't even imagine what would've happened to him—but he never seemed to care. He always smiled when he came. He was always so kind."

"Ichiru did that?" Zero asked, an emotion I couldn't quite place dancing in his tone.

Nodding, I pushed myself off the large shelf and began walking down the aisle. His whispering footsteps followed after me as I made my way toward the library's exit. "We all grew really close with Ichiru—he was one of the few people who came to visit us. It was always fun when he came over. Although I was able to sleep regularly back then, I generally stayed awake longer than the others. It was then that Ichiru told me about his beloved older brother."

"Beloved...?" The way he said it was slightly strangled, like he was forcing it out.

"Yeah. He always told me stories from when you were younger—how you always cared for him, did everything for him. You were his world, just like how he was yours. Your lives sounded as if they revolved around the other. It was so heartwarming to hear about." I whirled around suddenly so that I was walking backwards, my eyes now resting on the silver-haired hunter in front of me. I smiled at him as I said, "You love Ichiru a lot, and maybe you never really realized it until the end, but you're so, so important to him. Whenever he spoke about you, his eyes would take on this tender look, his voice holding this affectionate kind of tone to it that I never heard when he talked about anything else."

Although a million emotions seemed to fall onto Zero's features, he tried desperately to compose the look on his face. His eyes looked like they were cracking. His lips were pressed together so tightly, it was almost as if he was trying to make a line that was so thin that it'd disappear.

"Yeah..." I murmured softly, more to myself than to him. "You guys love each other so much. Hearing about you, I was always curious about how you were like when you were older. I heard so much about you when you were toddlers, but he never mentioned anything about how you were as a teenager. I always asked Satoshi or Lydia about you whenever they came to visit, but they never really knew. For the longest time, I wanted to meet you again. I frequently asked myself, 'Will Zero still have the same eyes? Will he still be as kind as he was back then?' I wondered if we could all be together again like how we were when we were younger."

"What are you talking about?" Zero's eyes met mine. Everything in his amethyst orbs was muddled, showing that even _he _didn't know how he truly felt. I couldn't even begin to understand how he was feeling, but I also felt like maybe I didn't need to.

With our eyes still locked, I felt my lips pull up just the slightest fraction. My heart felt heavy, a ton of bricks having been resting on it for what felt like an eternity. The load only got more intense when I had found out he didn't remember me—didn't remember what had transpired between us years ago.

It meant that he never knew how I saw him.

Or maybe it just meant that those memories held no significance to him.

There were numerous nights where I had stayed awake, asking myself when I would be able to talk with him, or if I wanted to do something like that at all. I always brooded over the fact that there was a reason he forgot, and why I had been shut out of his life. Yet, no matter how much or how long I tried to convince myself that I should just let the sleeping dogs lie, the question would come back to haunt me again for another night.

Was this moment telling me that it was time to speak of it now?

"I..." I hesitated, trying to properly string my thoughts together. "I'm always being saved by my team now, due to my illness. It's something that everyone knows—that, if I'm on the team, it doesn't matter how easy the mission may be. Everyone always has to have their guards up in case I slip up. It didn't always used to be like this. When I didn't have this disease, I was just a normal hunter. And just like normal hunters, when I was a child, I never knew anything about the real world of vampires despite living so closely to it.

"I was young—six years old. I had gotten separated from Lydia and my dad, and I wandered around, not knowing where I was going or what I was doing. I stumbled across a vampire. I mean, I didn't know it was a vampire at that time, but that was what she was. And as a hunter, even though I didn't know what was going on, I still knew that something was _wrong _with her. Yet I couldn't do anything—I couldn't run, couldn't fight back. I was just there, waiting for her to devour me. I wasn't scared, because I didn't know I would die if she actually got me. I remember that I was just wondering what about her was so strange—it was something that I couldn't place at that time. I was so clueless back then that when she picked me up, I didn't even struggle. I just kind of stared at her, wondering what was going on.

"She got shot before she could bite me. I fell onto the floor, landing on my elbows and knees, but I was more shocked than anything at the fact that she had gotten shot. That was when the fear kicked in. When the person who shot the gun came into the scene for me to see, I tried punching him." I snickered upon remembering. "But I didn't struggle for long—I think I was just too shocked. My body completely shut down after he stopped my idiotic attempt at attacking him. Can you guess who saved me that day?"

Zero just continued to stare at me, making no move to answer my question, but I hadn't expected him to. Even though I was sure he didn't even want to hear such a long and boring story, I knew he was still listening to what I was saying instead of tuning me out like most people would be. It was just something that Zero did—he was a listener, whether he wanted to be one or not. I supposed that if he knew my story wasn't going to get anywhere, he'd have already told me to shut up, but he was the one who had prompted me into telling him about it, anyways.

It all led to when everything between us started.

I looked away.

"My saviour was Yagari," I told him with a grin, remembering the way his pair of pale cerulean eyes had held mine with reassuring warmth before I had blacked out. "At that time, Yagari was on his way to visit twins that he was thinking about accepting as his pupils, and he had taken me to that home. When I regained consciousness, my eyes were still closed, but I heard someone singing that song. It was the first time I ever heard it, and I still remember it so clearly. I felt so at ease, I didn't want to wake up. But the little boy noticed that I was stirring, and stopped singing. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a pair of lavender eyes."

Pausing in my backwards trek, my eyes caught his. Unable to help it, my eyes scrutinized his lilac orbs, only to come to the same conclusion that I had gotten when I first saw him again. "It was you, Zero."

Silence wrapped around both of us, capturing us within her embrace. Nothing was exchanged between us except a strong, steady look that neither one of us dared to turn away from.

Despite the tension and thickness that hung in the air with mild surprise weaved into it, I felt like the metal beams that were placed on my chest were breaking and crumbling apart. It felt easier to breathe now, less painful. The bothersome feelings that I had swimming in my heart were slowly beginning to disappear.

It felt light.

Being the first to break our silence, I did it with a laugh. I twirled around for a moment, my arms spread out wide beside me. It felt _good_. I felt like I could actually laugh with him and _mean _it.

Taking steps towards him, I ignored the way his eyes followed my movements warily. I stopped when I was less than a foot away from him, taking in the way his much taller frame looked so capable of protecting others. It was so different from when we were younger, but I already knew that. He was no longer the kid that he was back then, years ago.

"Everything about you is different from how you were when you were younger," I voiced aloud my thoughts. I lifted a hand, tracing his broad shoulder, but never really touching him. There was a slight amount of space between my fingertips and his body, something that both upset and relieved me. I traced the width of his chest, the strong line of his jaw. I gestured to his height.

Staring up at him, my eyes sunk into his. I could see myself reflected in his pale purple eyes just as well as I could if I was looking in the mirror. It was impossible to say that his eyes remained the same, because they didn't. They couldn't have. But they still gave me the same sort of feeling every time I looked into them.

"But even after all these years, something stayed the same about you."

His eyes narrowed a fraction. I didn't know if that meant he was prompting me to go on, or if it was a warning telling me that he didn't want to hear anything from me anymore. I knew that even if he wanted me to seal my lips so that he wouldn't have to hear more rambling from me, though, that I wouldn't be able to do something like just _stop_.

Not when I only needed to say one more sentence to sum everything up for him.

The smooth, hard concrete that covered my heart softened a bit, melted slightly, as I looked at him. I couldn't bring myself to smile, even though I wasn't upset or sad about what I was going to say. There was no regret, nor was there anger. However, the sheer solemnity of my words seemed to prevent a smile from showing on my face.

My voice was quiet and soft as I stared unwaveringly into his eyes. "You were never my hero. But you were my salvation."

Like always, hush enveloped us in a dance. It was so often that whenever we spoke, we were wrapped up in a stillness that seemed to be broken only temporarily, reviving again just short moments later. Yet, I realized that I didn't mind the silences between us. It gave me time to scrutinize him, to admire him, to try and capture everything about the vampire hunter.

It gave me a chance to delve deeper to see if anything changed in him.

This time, everything was too blended in together that I couldn't see a single thing underneath his shield of violet ice.

Chuckling, a fire exploded along the tips of my fingers and spread down my hand, going up my arm. I backed away, creating a distance between us, hoping that he'd merely think that the feather-light brush of my fingertips on the back of his hand was merely the fabric of his clothes. A part of me rolled her eyes, telling me that there was no way he could think something like that, but another part of me still hoped that he wouldn't notice.

My smile was barely existent as I clasped my hands together behind my back.

Yes. Just a touch of his hand still provided the same reassuring warmth it did back then.

Pivoting on my heels, I walked down the hall properly now, wondering where to go. There was no vampire activity at all, something that I was grateful for. After all, if they attacked now, then our plan of having everyone inside the Association would shatter into pieces.

"Tashiro—"

"Ivy," I interrupted him, the smile in my tone matching the one on my face. "I told you before—calling me 'Tashiro' really doesn't work anymore. For all I know, you're talking about Arashi."

He either ignored what I said, or he simply disregarded it. "Is that why you're always sticking your nose into my business?"

"Not entirely," I replied truthfully. The thought of all the other separate causes had my lips tugging into a frown. "There are a lot of different reasons as to why I can't leave you alone, Zero, but it's just not possible. Sorry, but you're going to be stuck with me for a while."

"Because of your delusional thoughts that say I need to be protected." He didn't ask it.

The emotion that played along my upward tilt of the lips was the opposite of happiness. "Partially."

"You never told me from what," Zero pointed out to me.

"You really don't want to know," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. No matter how many times I thought about them, it still didn't change anything about the emotions that boiled inside me when I did. There were a lot times where I felt like perhaps I was wrong—that, no matter what happened, it wasn't right to resent and hate them so much.

Those thoughts were immediately obliterated.

"It's significant," he retorted. His eyes burned holes into my back. I was sure that he had his own reasons for wanting to know what we wanted to keep him away from, but I couldn't conjure up any except for the fact that he'd know who the enemy was, and therefore could think up his own plans to counter it.

That was the thing, though—sometimes, it was better to not do things that none of us expected. It would only create a domino effect; surprise triggering unexpectedness, which falls over unpredictable situations that none of us wanted. We couldn't afford uncalculated things in our plans that we didn't know how to solve or how to escape from.

Because we needed to stay on top of this game.

"It's better if you don't know about it," I insisted, not turning to look at the tall male hunter. I doubted I could meet his piercing eyes and still stand my ground on it without blurting everything out.

Even though I had been under much colder, much sharper eyes, I had never been able to stop myself from breaking under those gazes.

Always, always.

My lips thinned.

"It's better if I do," he countered. Irritation was beginning to singe his beautifully orchestrated voice. Zero's footsteps were just as silent as mine through the marble hallways, the architecture of the Association Headquarters something both familiar yet unfamiliar to me. It was, as I had noticed a million times before, an extremely spacious building. Nothing short of "breathtaking" could be used to describe the way everything was set out, painted, or designed. The elegance of it all was outstanding.

"Why do you want to know so badly, Zero?" I asked him with a faint trace of curiosity in my tone.

"Why are you trying so hard to keep it from me?" he shot back swiftly.

"Because even if you knew, it wouldn't immediately change anything," I answered, my voice quiet. I had to stifle back a sigh. "It's not like you can defend yourself against them. Not yet, at least." It was true that having him know could alter things greatly, but I knew that even if he was aware of what was happening, nothing would change on the surface. They weren't around often enough for anything to happen at this point in time, anyways. And besides, what they were the type of being to work indirectly.

I only knew all too well.

Zero didn't even need to think about his retort. "Then it shouldn't matter."

Arguing like this was beyond pointless. I knew that I was a stubborn person—I had been told that by myriads of people on a million different occasions—but I was quite sure that I couldn't win against the Level D vampire when it came to something like that. After all, he had rejected the change into a vampire for four years by nothing but sheer willpower and obstinacy.

There was no way that I could win against someone like that.

Glancing at the wall that was coming up, I spotted the large bulletin that was placed on it. Halting in my footsteps, I faced the large board and raked my eyes through it. What I was looking for wasn't hard to find, since it was placed right in the middle of the notice sheets. The sheet of white that the message was inked onto was also twice the size of all the others, immediately drawing attention to it.

Pointing at the large notice sheet, I inquired, "You're already aware of what's going to take place soon regarding the future president position, right?"

"What of it?" Zero's voice was tinted with cautiousness.

Looking at him over my shoulder, I gave him an apologetic look. Offering a relatively sheepish smile, I said, "I'm sorry that this happened. They're just—my grandparents..." I trailed off for a moment, not knowing how to say what I wanted to say without sounding completely and utterly uncivilized.

My hands clenched into fists.

"They cause a lot of trouble," I managed to say with a somewhat controlled tone of voice. I didn't want to express how I truly felt when it came to this particular family matter. There were no words that could properly describe just how I felt about my relationship with the oldest members of the Tashiro family.

"It's better this way." Zero brushed off my apology, his eyes staring at the reminder of the upcoming debate with a mixture of both annoyance and indifference. "You can take it—I don't want the position."

"No," I instantly objected. "I can't do it. I _can't_. You need to become the future President, Zero. It can't be anyone else but you."

"Why?" His eyes slid over to me.

I underlined my name on the poster with the fingertip of my index finger, my eyes trained on the characters that spelt out "Tashiro Kaori." In a hushed voice, I explained vaguely, "That's why."

My eyes roamed around the poster, taking in everything about it. Smack in the middle were the words, "Kiriyuu Zero OR Tashiro Kaori?" followed by all the information necessary about the meeting. It was a conference that was going to include all hunters that wanted to participate in it. To me, it was stupid and like a trial. I didn't know how many or which hunters would be actually taking part in such a moronic meeting, but I knew that no matter what happened, I couldn't let Zero lose his position of being the future president.

He didn't respond for a moment. I could feel his eyes piercing the top of my head, but I couldn't look up at him. Eventually, he sighed quietly. "Don't push something so troublesome onto me."

"Sorry," I tried to laugh, "but trust me. It's better this way."

"Isn't that just an excuse to leave the job to me?" Zero asked. If his voice had eyes, he would've rolled them. He didn't sound pleased in the least as he stood with his hands shoved into the pockets of his pants.

"Not at all," I answered, moving away from the bulletin before meeting his eyes. Once again walking backwards, I grinned at him slightly. "You'll stand strong—that's the reason why you can be the leader to the Association, and why I simply can't. Being the president means that the future of the Association will depend on you. I can imagine the way things will turn out if I become president. It'll be horrible, because I'd eventually cave in. I can't be like you, who can resist so fiercely and succeed. No matter what happens, I always end up losing."

"Your answers are annoying," Zero stated bluntly. His unspoken explanation of having to interpret my words was evident. Even though he looked reluctant to do so, he still followed me as I randomly meandered through the halls of the building, not having a destination in mind.

My chortle filled the corridor that we were in. "Sorry, sorry. I'd explain it to you, but you'd find out eventually even if I didn't."

They were fighting for him, but we were against it. For him.

It was so complicated if you were actually part of the situation, knowing the deeper motives and the more complex feelings of those involved. Since I stood at the root of the situation, I knew what they wanted from me, and what they wanted from him. I always wondered—if I took a step back from the situation to look at it from a bigger, unbiased perspective, would the solution to such a problem be so much simpler? Would the answer to everything be so much clearer to me—to all of us—than it was now?

"'Eventually' isn't soon enough." He had probably caught on to the fact that when I said "eventually" it had really meant something along the lines of "when it's already done and over with."

"What's the rush?" I inquired lightly. A smile began to stretch along my face. "It's nice to have some mystery in life, right? It adds curiosity, excitement, and the like."

"Wrong," Zero denied. He shut his eyes, his long tresses of silver hair fluttering over his closed eyelids to play with his cheekbones. His lips were twisted down into a frown as he corrected me, "It's irritating, frustrating, and a waste of time trying to decipher it."

I clapped my hands together, the loud sound reverberating through the vacant passage. Pointing at him, I exclaimed, "See, this is it! _This_ is why your world is so dark, Zero. It's the fact that you try and shut everything out. It's not as if you don't see that there's _some _sort of meaning to life, and all the happy things that the world can give you—it's just that you choose to ignore all those things."

"You talk too much," Zero commented in a calm, but agitation-splattered voice. It was like another five walls fell down over his eyes, the security around him tightening to the point where it seemed like even air was observed and checked before entering his system. There was a swift movement in which he reached into his jacket, pulling out Bloody Rose as he pointed it at me. The warning was clearly etched along his features as he stared at me, daring me to say anything else about him and his world.

There was no hesitation in his actions. It was like he didn't even need to think about directing a gun at me, prepared to give a lethal shot. However, if I had to be honest with myself, I wasn't surprised.

I wasn't surprised, but I was disappointed.

Maybe I didn't have a right to feel that way?

There had been no doubt in my mind that no matter what happened, even if Zero figured out the past we shared, it wouldn't change anything. I was still a vampire. I was still a creature that he loathed more than he could possibly even try to put into words. Even knowing about what happened years ago, I shouldn't have had hope that maybe, just maybe, the distance between us would've shortened a bit.

Thinking that we could go back to the days when we were like brothers and sister seemed so surreal now as I looked into his tortured, hating eyes.

Looking at him, I realized that it was okay. That _this _was okay—he could point that gun at me. It'd be fine, it'd be fine.

Wouldn't it be?

My eyes softened slightly, a voice echoing inside my head like bell chimes. Ichiru's words wrapped around me, reminding me of what I needed to do before I could do anything else. The thing that I put as my top priority—as _my _most important duty.

Not yet. No matter what, I had to go through with it until the end.

Staring at him squarely in the eyes, I challenged him softly, "Am I wrong?"

He remained silent, his arm not dropping back to his side. His Bloody Rose was aimed straight at my head. I wondered whether or not I could dodge in time if he truly decided to shoot. But even so, I merely stayed where I was as I observed him quietly.

"You won't shoot." It was why I wasn't afraid. It was because I knew. "I know that you won't shoot at me."

"...I would," Zero said after a pregnant pause, his voice sounding like the tinkling of ice shards falling against glass.

"If I give you a reason to?" I picked up his train of thought. "If I didn't seem to know so much about Ichiru during the years when you guys were apart? If I overstep my boundaries between being a human and being a vampire?"

Zero's eyes tightened as he looked at me. "Don't."

I didn't look away from him even though I felt like he was trying to break me in half with his gaze. "What will shooting me do for you? I know what it'd for others, but I don't know what _you'd _gain from it. I mentioned it before, right, Zero? That I want to help you, but I can't do that if you don't let me."

"What do you get from helping me?" he countered, a cynical tone taking hold of his voice.

"Everything," I answered, smiling slightly at him. "You can say that I'm helping you for my own benefits, if you'd rather think of it like that. By helping you, I feel like for once in my life, I'm not going to be making a mistake. That, if someone were to ask me, I can confidently say, 'I'm on Zero's side' and not regret it years and years later. I always question myself about whether what I do is right or not. I'm always hesitant about my decisions, but I've never second-guessed about this one."

Dread suddenly trickled along my spine as I felt my back bump into something. Just by the feeling that was threatening to overwhelm me, I already knew where I was. My entire body froze, locking itself in the same position as my mind tried to get it to move. The blood going through my system seemed to freeze everything as it circulated, my heart giving hard thumps that were painful.

Mechanically, I braced myself before turning around to see if I was right.

I was.  
><em><br>The Silent Room._

Standing before me were two enormous double doors. Made out of dark wood, they loomed over me in a threatening menace, the edges rimmed with glittering gold. The wood itself was polished and unscathed at all, the surface as smooth as velvet despite the years that had gone by and how worn it was. Intricate designs decorated the wood, the details of it excruciatingly small. There were no handles on the doors, but that was because they weren't normal doors. Along the edges of the door, and even around it, were spells written in the language of ancient hunters.

It looked exactly the same.

Breathing got harder.

Fear penetrated me. It wasn't a sort of mild fear, nor was it the kind of fear that I felt when I was facing a group of bloodthirsty vampires by myself. That was an exhilarated fear. This, however, was nothing but plain horror itself. It was a terror that was so strong, I found myself stepping back from the doors as it shook my entire body.

Voice screaming out words began to slip out of the carefully guarded box I had caged them in, and I squeezed my eyes shut in concentration, trying to push it all back. My hands automatically came up to press against my ears in an attempt to drown out shrieks that only existed in the reality of my head.

I remembered too often. Not now, not this time. I didn't want to relive something like this again, for what felt like a millionth time.

A hand gripped my wrist firmly. I didn't realize I was trembling slightly until I noticed just how steady that hand was. "What's wrong?"

The warmth of his hand spread. The numbness that had started taking over me retreated and was soon replaced. The way his grip didn't waver even the slightest was reassuring, comforting. It made me feel like everything was going to be okay. It reminded me that I was awake—that this was reality, that this was the present.

Forcing my muscles to unlock themselves, I shook my head slightly. "It's—There's—I... I just remembered something."

"You remembered something," he repeated in a quiet voice that was laced with something that sounded like a mix between incredulity and some kind of understanding. "What could possibly—" he cut himself off, his lips thinning.

Slowly opening my eyes, I inhaled deeply. I tried turning the alarm systems in my own body off. Looking up at Zero, I saw how he was gazing at the door with his eyebrows pulled together, his scowl much deeper than usual.  
><em><br>No_, my mind whispered, _don't look at that. No, no, no..._

"Zero." I pulled at the wrist he was still clutching at, making his eyes snap to meet mine. My voice was quiet, sounding almost defeated, as I asked, "Can we move away from here?"

His eyes scrutinized me for another moment in silence before, without saying a word, he began heading back where we had come from, his grip on my wrist not loosening. His strides were bigger than mine due to his immensely long legs, but I didn't have much trouble keeping up due to my vampire nature. Even so, I didn't know what he was doing or where he was talking me.

I stared at the back of his head, confusion etched all over me. "What are you doing, Zero?"

"You're the one who wanted to leave that place." He didn't even flick me a glance over his shoulder.

"That's true, but—" I was at a loss. What was I supposed to say? Although I _did _say that I wanted to get away from there, it didn't mean that he had to drag me off somewhere. I was perfectly capable of walking on my own. Before I could voice aloud this thought, he spoke.

His voice that bathed in chocolate glass said in a matter-of-fact tone, "You're still shaking."

Something inside me was struck by his words. It was true that my entire body wasn't fully back to its original state of steadiness, but that didn't mean he had to do something like this. It wasn't as if I wouldn't be able to stand on my own. I would've been fine, even if I had been on my own. After all, the memories hadn't consumed me yet. There had only been a crack in the box that I had kept them in—a small crevasse that was easily fixed.

But when I thought about what would've happened if he hadn't been there to snap me out of it, my body only got colder.

"Sorry," I said softly. "That wasn't supposed to happen." My feet were never supposed to lead me back there. I had never wanted to go back—such a place... No matter how many times I looked at it, the beauty of the outside doors could be equal to the amount of horror that waited when you passed them.

"I figured," he answered in a faintly dry voice.

We rounded another corner, the spotless expanse of the kitchen as well as the dining room stretching out in front of us. The marble countertops were white, as was the island that was situated in the very center of the enormous kitchen. It was one of the many that the Association had, since there was always a high demand for food. With black cabinets, silver taps, and a white tiled floor, the colours that lightened up the room belonged to the elegantly arranged flowers inside a porcelain vase that sat in the middle of the island. A lot of the onyx walls were taken up by large, vibrantly coloured paintings that ranged from picture-paintings of flowers to landscapes and from landscapes to city views at night. A large, rectangular table made out of dark wood was in the leftover space, numerous chairs pushed neatly in. Another array of flowers posed in a vase on the table.

The hold he had on my wrist disappeared as he headed toward the fridge, leaving me standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Both confused and curious, I held back the questions I had and settled for just observing him.

He opened up the fridge, peering inside it for a moment before taking out seven eggs, some bacon, and some fruits as well. Opening up the cupboards until he found what he was looking for, he turned on the stove and rummaged around for the oil.

Ah, I understood now.

Moving further into the kitchen, I searched for the cabinet that held the plates. When I found it—after opening up five wrong ones—I took out the required around of dishes, setting the stack next to where Zero was. When I gathered all the utensils necessarily for today's breakfast, I set them down on the dining table and made my way back to where Zero was. Taking the fruits that he had set out, I turned on the tap and began to wash them with cold water.

It was silent between us as we worked. Or, well, it _was_, until I took out the cutting-board and a knife.

"Don't touch it if you can't do it," Zero muttered, his eyes sliding over to me.

"I might not be good at cooking," I grumbled, "but I know how to cut stuff properly, at the least." Admittedly, I didn't exactly cut them very _well_, but nonetheless. At least I wasn't horrible enough to create complete havoc with a knife. But it was true that something always seemed a bit off with whatever I cut. If I tried cutting slices of tomatoes or something similar, they either came out too thick or too thin. If I tried dicing up garlic, I either did it to the point where it was too small, or I didn't dice it up enough. It just somehow seemed difficult to get all that stuff _right_.

He only had to look at how I had started cutting up the strawberries to twitch in irritation. "Like hell you do." He nudged me in the side with his elbow, shooting me a look that told me to just stop what I was doing. "Didn't I say not to touch it if you can't do it?"

"Just because the proportions are kind of weird—!" I began to protest.

His eyes met mine. "Just stick to baking, Tashiro."

The beauty of his eyes almost knocked the wind out of me. It was unfair of him to have such mesmerizing amethyst orbs. Absentmindedly, I corrected him in a nearly inaudible voice, "My name's Ivy."

Zero held my gaze strongly for another moment before they darted downwards to look at the pieces of strawberries I had cut. "I didn't know it was even possible for someone to cut strawberries so unevenly."

"It's not like a strawberry is perfectly symmetrical in the first place," I objected as I followed his gaze down to the crimson fruit pieces. They really weren't that bad—I could've done much, much worse.

He turned back to the eggs he was making. "Suit yourself."

"I will," I agreed brightly, ignoring the way he gave me a look that said he really didn't want me to carry on. As I continued chopping up the strawberries, I inquired curiously, "Who taught you how to cook?"

"Nobody," he answered after a moment, taking a plate off the stack I had placed beside the stove. He slid the scrambled egg onto the plate and put it aside before cracking another egg open over the frying pan.

"So you learned how to cook by yourself?" My eyebrows shot up to my hairline. "I thought that Kaien was the one who pushed it onto you. It seems like something he'd do." I grinned at the thought of it—it wasn't hard to imagine the straw-haired hunter forcing Zero into the kitchen and attempting to teach him culinary skills, calling it "father-son bonding time."

"His insistence was annoying," Zero replied.

I glanced at the clock briefly. It was ten minutes past six, which meant that everyone was already getting ready for the day. I looked back down and focused on cutting up the fruits efficiently, finishing off the strawberries and then starting on the kiwi. "I feel like you're similar to Trance—he didn't really _want _to learn how to cook, but Lydia forced him into it."

"You have a lot of siblings," he commented under his breath. There was a certain tone in his voice, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it.

"Yeah, but it's nice," I told him. "I love the fact that I have so many siblings—it's less lonely. I mean, since there are so many of us, Arashi usually has someone with him. If there were fewer of us, then he wouldn't be taken care of by family. Most of the time, it's Satoshi that looks after him. Trance doesn't stay anywhere for too long, and Lydia... Well, she's a bit too loud and rowdy to handle him for prolonged amounts of time."

His eyes flickered towards me, but I didn't need to look at him to understand the look he gave me. After all, the unspoken question hung in the air obviously.

My eyes fell to the black tattoo that was imprinted along the back of my right hand. Two rows of numbers written in an elegant cursive script were inked onto the pale skin, the dark tattoo extremely visible against the ivory background.

Tearing my eyes away from that, I didn't meet his eyes as I confirmed his thoughts. "My parents died a few years ago."

He didn't say anything, but he didn't need to.

The atmosphere seemed to darken between us, the tension thickening. Awkwardness was sprinkled here and there, and I didn't really know what to say. I had the feeling that my words didn't affect me, but _him_.

He lost his family years ago, and as if that wasn't bad enough, he had also turned into something that he hated the most. Rather than feeling any pain or hurt in my chest at my own words and recollections, what I said seemed to affect the silver-haired hunter even more. He wasn't like me, who felt bitter and resentful—he had loved them so dearly, cherished them.

Our views on our losses were so incredibly different.

Sighing softly, I finished up cutting the fruits. They all had their own separate bowls, and I placed them in the fridge so that they'd stay cool until we were ready to eat them later.

Seeing Zero preparing the bacon, I notified him, "Cheryl doesn't eat that, so you don't need to make her share."

He made a noncommittal sound.

I had just placed in two slices of bread into the toaster when Arashi ran into the room enthusiastically, practically lighting up the entire room with his wide smile. Mana strolled in after him, tying her hair up into its usual high ponytail.

"Good morning," she and I chorused together, sharing matching grins.

"Good morning, Ivy!" Arashi exclaimed loudly as he latched himself around my waist. He didn't let me go until I returned his embrace, his smile only widening as he went over to Zero. Hugging Zero's legs, as the six-year-old couldn't reach the taller man's waist, the youngest Tashiro sibling greeted, "Good morning, Zero!"

He stared down at the little boy for a moment, his expression unreadable. Arashi merely looked right back up at him, his head tilted back quite a bit to properly see Zero's face. His grin was still in place, his eyes sparkling as he looked up at the stoic male cheerfully. After another second, Zero returned Arashi's greeting in his sleek voice. "'Morning."

My youngest brother's toothy grin stretched wider, and he hugged Zero tighter. "Zero, Arashi dreamed of you!"

For a moment, Zero stiffened. He clearly wasn't someone who was around children often. Glancing briefly down at Arashi before resuming his cooking, he inquired, "Yeah?"

"Yup!" Arashi nodded his head vigorously. He began to tell Zero all about his dream, which included the silver-haired hunter jumping off of buildings and then growing wings to fly, followed by throwing what sounded like grenades down at some huge dragon. His eyes were sparkling the entire time, his words slurring together slightly because he was speaking so fast.

I didn't know what else happened after the dragon part, as Mana clamped a hand down on my shoulder, giggling. "Arashi-kun has such strange dreams, don't you agree, Ivy-chan?"

"He does," I agreed. Raising an eyebrow at her, I joked, "What kind of story did you tell him last night, Mana?"

"Nothing involving dragons and grenades, that's for sure," she laughed.

"Sorry that you had to go and wake him," I apologized to the onyx-haired beauty.

She waved away my apology with a grin. "Don't worry about it. I had fun waking him up—he's adorable when he's asleep, but when he _just _wakes up..." she trailed off for a moment, her grin widening. "It was the cutest sight I've ever seen."

I laughed, nodding my head in agreement. Arashi was definitely ridiculously cute. I wondered how well he'd fare with the ladies when he grew up. At this age, many older women often cooed over him.

"Good morning," Kaito drawled as he sauntered sleepily into the room.

A blonde beauty was just a step behind him. "If you made my share of bacon, I might just murder you."

After another round of greetings, I laughed as I told Cheryl, "Don't worry, Zero didn't make your share of bacon."

"He better not of," she retorted as she pulled out a chair at the dining table. She crossed one leg over the other, flipping her gold curls over her shoulder.

Glancing around, I took notice of how someone was still missing. "Where's Al?"

"I never knew you missed me so much, Ivy," he teased as he entered the room with perfect timing. He grinned widely at us. "Good morning, guys."

"Do us all a favour and go back to sleep, Al," Cheryl sighed, irritation tainting her tone.

"That wouldn't be doing anyone a favour at all," Al retorted lightly as he slung an arm across my shoulders and brought me close to his side. "I mean, I'm gracing everyone in this room with my amazing presence this early in the morning. You should all be grateful."

"Trust me," Cheryl's tone was insistent, "you're making everyone's lives ten times harder."

"I can see that _someone's _being jealous again, as—" Al abruptly stopped what he was saying, his words replaced by a sharp intake of breath. I looked up at him worriedly when his grip around me tightened, only to see that his face was contorted into one of pain.

Mana's voice was full of concern as she asked, "Al-kun?"

His spare hand came up to cover his eyes, his entire body tensed.

But as Cheryl caught my gaze from across the room, we both knew what was going on with the orange-eyed vampire.

"Shit." The word was strangled out of his lips.

It didn't take another second for everyone's eyes to follow the trails of blood that trickled down his cheeks.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

And that concludes the eleventh chapter of Heterochromia! I hope that you guys liked it!

I KNOW, I KNOW. ZERO FINALLY HAD A WHOLE CHAPTER PRACTICALLY SHARED WITH IVY. SURPRISE! I hope that you guys liked it. (:

I think that when Zero told Ivy to stop cutting the fruits and she said, "My name's Ivy", I just died. Even though I'm the author. ASNBOEWNBOEB.

I hope that you guys had enjoyed this chapter! I know that I had a blast writing it. I think that I had so much fun because so much of it surrounded Zero and Ivy, and this is like the start of everything. From now on, you guys can be sure that there will be a LOT more Zero and Ivy moments. A lot of the chapters, after now, will contain these two together. (:

Sorry for any grammar mistakes, spelling errors, and OOCness that may have taken place (AHMYGOD, OOCNESS IS POSSIBLE IN THIS CHAPTER. PLEASE, NO. -CRIES-)

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**Chia Joey, Astin, luvJesusInHeavn, Demonic Angel 7, Anemos, xasianbuddyx, Yuna, Jade Starlight, Guest, Youknowwhothisis, xxBrokendreamerxx, and blueanimefreak**

Thank you guys so much for your amazing reviews! I appreciate it so much. (:

Also, thank you to everyone who alerted or favourited, and even reads my work!

WALLS OF TEXT FOR RESPONSES COMING UP! (:

To** Astin**;

WHAT? No way. Puppies are too cute to actually eat. ): I love Al's nickname for Arashi. ;D For a moment, I was like, "WHO'S CAROL?" and then I realized you meant Cheryl. LOL. -SLAPPED- But yes, Cheryl is a monster when it comes to fashion. =P And yeah. Al and Ivy's relationship is very affectionate, and Al's definitely not against showing it. I'm glad that I made you laugh! (: And probably a safe choice; Cheryl is a trooper despite her looks. HAHA.  
>Childhood lovers separated? HMM. That certainly IS cliche, but I refuse to say anything about that right now. You'll just have to continue reading to see! But just because they cared a lot about each other doesn't mean they HAVE to be lovers, right? -grins- Ichiru's significant in the story, so I DO bring him up. But I'll keep it a secret why he's important, though I think that a lot of it was revealed in this chapter.<br>Sorry, I'm a greedy person!  
>I understand about the keyboard spamming, though. It happens to me all the time. xD<br>THANK YOU. YOU CONTINUE TO ROCK ON, TOO! Thank you so much for your support and for reading! I hope that you liked this chapter! (:

To** luvJesusInHeavn**;

YOU! I KNOW YOU! ;D  
>And thank you so much for your praises! But I think my ego's going to inflate. ASDSDGJPMP. I'm glad that you think it's paced well, but I think that a lot of people think I drag on my stories WAY too much. xD I'm glad that you think Ivy's cool! -beams-<br>It's not a stupid question at all! Heterochromia is kind of AU, as Yuuki and Kaname never actually leave the academy or anything. So it's a little warped. But it IS one year after Ichiru's death and Yuuki's awakening, so it's... somewhere around chapter fifty?  
>It's alright; I'm not exactly a cook, either! =P<br>I'm happy that you love the balance between the descriptions and the dialogue; I try not to have too much of either. XD  
>It's reassuring to know that you don't think any of the characters are OOC! I'm so relieved. And I'm glad that you like how I interpret Yagari! I think he and Kaito, because they aren't super main characters, are hard to capture, but thank goodness you think I'm doing alright with it! xD<br>Thank you for reading and for your continuous support! I hope that enjoyed the latest chapter! (:

To **Anemos**;

Well, thankfully, I think that the review thing is changed so that you can insert your name! (:  
>Thank you for your compliment! HAHA. I think that out of all the EX5 members, you'll probably see Al and Cheryl the most, but the ones that I delve deepest into would be Nao and Al. They're just... complicated. =P I hope you look forward to reading about them! And HAHA. Al and Cheryl a couple, eh? We'll see. (;<br>Yeah, Kaito DOES worry about Ivy. It's partially because, since Kaito's Satoshi's best friend, he grew up together with her. But it's also because he _knows_ Ivy. Hee. The issue with how Zero's appearance shall remain a mystery~ ;D  
>I hope that I didn't disappoint you with this chapter! And I wonder how many of your questions were answered? xD<br>Your prediction was pretty close! And for a moment, I wondered why you thought Arashi hated Ivy, but then I realized you were speaking about Trance. LOL. IT'S OKAY; I KNOW. I HAVE TOO MANY OCS, AND TOO MANY OF THEM ARE TASHIROS. XD But as for your prediction on Trance and Ivy's relationship, and the issue around EX5, those will be revealed later on! Like always, I hope you look forward to it!  
>I'm so glad that you like what I do with my chapters. I always try to retain that sort of mysterious feel in order to keep my readers curious, and I always drop hints to further their curiosity. I also try to have my readers think and predict what could happen by creating situations that force them to wonder. DOES Shitsuren have that mysterious feel to it? I don't really see it, but I'm glad that you think so!<br>REALLY? SHE'S YOUR FAVOURITE? -SPARKLY EYES- I think that's the first time anyone has told me that. LOL. I'm so happy that you like her just as much as I do. But I'm curious about whether you mean all my OCs in general, including the ones in Shitsuren, or in just Heterochromia. ;O  
>The meaning behind EX5 name isn't forgotten! I plan for an explanation in the future, so you'll have to continue reading to find out! -grins-<br>Thank you so much for your review and your support, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! I also look forward to hearing from you again! ;D

To **xasianbuddyx**;

Thank you! And mm... Well, that really depends. Do you mean when they were children, or just a few years ago? ;D Things change depend on the time period you're talking about. I hope that you understand what I mean now that this chapter has been released!  
>Thanks so much for reading and for your support. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! (:<p>

To **Yuna**;

Well, I DO know that series. But, uh, I have absolutely NO idea what you're talking about. ASNBOWENBOEWb. I'M SORRY. I'm not offended or anything, though. I'm a pretty chill and laid-back person, so nothing really offends me. Don't worry about it. I'm really sorry that I don't understand your joke, though. T.T  
>And no, I haven't. Why? Is it good? Want to offer a summary or something? XD<br>Thank you for your support and for reading! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! ;D

To **Guest**;

NAMEEE. -CRIES- WHERE?  
>And what do you mean by "again"? ;OOO NOW I'M SO CURIOUS. ASDGGHJKL. WHO IS THIS AMAZING REVIEWER WHO PRAISES ME? -GASPS- ( But, no, really. o.o )<br>Thank you! I'm glad that you love EX5. Yes, they're all definitely quite something. -grins- Hmm~ How Al feels about Ivy? It'll be revealed later on, so I hope you look forward to it! But Al IS very affectionate toward Ivy, and there's a reason for it. (;  
>The first two questions will be answered as the story progresses, and the answer to Ivy and Zero's past is exposed! DUN DUN DUNN! I hope that it didn't disappoint you too much! =P<br>I finally updated, so I hope you liked it! Thank you so much for your support, and I hope to hear from you again! (Preferably with a name that I actually recognized. WANBOWENBEW. -SLAPPED- )! (:

To **xxBrokendreamerxx**;

I REMEMBER YOU! Your review for the latest chapter of Shitsuren- ASNBOWNBOWEB. You'll see a bunch of keyboard spamming when the next chapter comes out and I respond to your review. Trust me. BUT I CAN'T DO IT HERE SINCE SHITSUREN IS SHITSUREN AND THIS IS HETEROCHROMIA. SBOEWBMWB. EVEN THOUGH I'M DYING TO REPLY TO THAT ONE.  
>But anyways.<br>THANK YOU SO MUCH! Your praises are destroying me. Really. My ego is inflating so much. I can't believe you called me an inspiration. -SOBS- That's just- I can't- THANK YOU.  
>I'm glad that you like Ivy! I wonder if you like her more than Riku, though. xD I'm so relieved to know that you don't consider her a Mary-Sue as some would.<br>YOUR PRAISES. SABOEWNBOWEB. THANK YOU. I'm glad that you think I'm one of the authors that can show OC stories aren't completely terrible! It makes me really happy! Don't worry, I'll always continue writing! (: So I'm sorry that you might have to suffer with me for a while. xD  
>Thank you for being the 100th reviewer! I was ecstatic when I saw the review in my inbox!<br>Yeah, I think that most people DO dismiss Yuuki and Zero's relationships fairly easily. I think it plays a huge role, though, so I can't push it aside. I'm happy that you think I captured it well enough, though! And I'm so glad to know that you don't think any of the characters are OOC!  
>I hope that some of your questions are answered through this chapter, and that you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for your amazing encouragement, and I really look forward to hearing from you again!<p>

DONE.

I stopped bunching all of my responses together into one huge paragraph and ended up separating them into smaller paragraphs... But I didn't space them out. Which was intentional. Don't ask me why. xD

I think that the review thing is fixed, so you guys can all put your names in it! YAY! No more "Guest" names! -sparkly eyes-

So, a lot of you guys were curious about Zero and Ivy's past, and some told me your predictions. I had a ton of fun reading them, and I feel like a lot of you guys got the general gist of it? I wonder if anything surprised you, though. xD Thank you to those of you who answered the question! (:

This time, it's going to be...

**QUESTION: Did any new questions pop up for you in this chapter in general? And if so, what were they?**It doesn't have to be surrounding what happened between Ivy and Zero, but did anything in the chapter itself evoke any other questions inside you? XD

That's... basically about it, I think.

Aside from another round of, "THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU" for my reviewers who helped Heterochromia hit the 100s...

And to those of you who didn't check out Kuro's artwork yet? GO GO GO GO GO!

I hope that you guys all liked this chapter, and I'm so excited to hear your thoughts on it!

Liked it? Loved it? Hated it? Tell me your thoughts in a review or send me a PM! (:

I'm hoping to update again soon, so I hope you all look forward to it! Until thennnnn~!

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	12. Disfigured Title

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight. It belongs solely to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N:**

I updated. In less than a month. Am I amazing or what? LOL. I feel proud of myself, especially because this a long chapter. You have been warned.

I think part of the reason why I wrote this opposed to Shitsuren, my other fanfic as many of you probably know, is because I was watching up on all the VK chapters I missed. And, like always when reading VK, I felt the urge to flip tables. I was just angry. Hence, I had to write more IvyxZero goodness in order to vent of my anger.

So ta-da! That's how this chapter got out so fast. I know, it's such a twisted reason, but ANVOEWNBEOWB.

ANYWAYS. I hoped that you guys like this chapter! (:

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER TWELVE;**

_"Disfigured Title"_

* * *

><p>"What—"<p>

I didn't even let Zero finish his sentence. Grabbing one of Al's hands and a roll of paper towels that had been sitting on the counter, I pulled him out of the kitchen faster than the rest of them could blink. Cheryl's footsteps could be heard just a step behind me as I led him back out to the window-seat that we had been sitting on earlier that night during our shift together. I helped him sit down on it carefully.

Cheryl looked over her shoulder at the trail of blood droplets that had fallen down his face and splattered onto the floor. Her lips tautened, her gaze turning hard. She looked back at the dark-haired man and asked tightly, "You okay?"

Al somehow managed to get out a strangled laugh. "As okay as I can be in this situation." Through the tight gaps of his fingers, blood continued to overflow. They trickled down the back of his smooth hand, dripping down rapidly onto his clothes.

I ripped some of the paper towels off of the original roll. Gently gripping onto the wrist of the hand he was using to cover his eyes, I pulled at it. He allowed me to move it reluctantly, and I brought the pieces of somewhat soft tissue to his closed eyes.

Quietly, I asked him, "Do you need anything?"

"I can't believe you just snatched that off the counter so quickly," he muttered, ignoring my question completely. His lips were twisted into a grimace as he continued, "Someone might have needed that, you know. Couldn't you have just gotten me a rag?"

"Want to stop complaining before I smash your face in while you're already like this?" There was an edge in Cheryl's voice, but it wasn't because of true anger or anything of that sort. Her voice lacked its usual bite, and instead sounded rather gentle despite her harsh words. "We're not going to randomly go back into the kitchen and grab a dishcloth for you. It's best to use something cleaner than that, isn't it?"

If he could've, Al would've rolled his eyes—it was implied in his tone of voice. "Not really."

"Why you little—"

"Al," I interrupted softly, cutting in between their argument. "Answer me honestly and don't evade the question; do you need anything?"

It was silent between the three of us for a few heartbeats. The only sounds that could be heard would be our nearly silent breathing and the small sounds that could be heard in the stilled kitchen. The entire atmosphere was solemn, but it seemed like between the three of us, a despairing reminder also hung over our heads.

Eventually, Al let out a loud exhale that sounded like it was on the brink of turning into a one-second chuckle. Shaking his head briefly, he said in a tone just as soft as falling petals, "I'm fine, Ivy."

I stared hard at him, trying to assess whether or not he was speaking the truth or not. After a few seconds, I concluded that he was being honest. I had seen Al when he had much more severe attacks, and he wouldn't be able to be so calm about it. His breathing, although somewhat ragged, wasn't nearly as bad as it had been previously in the past. The fact that he wasn't gasping and attempting to claw his eyes out was also a bonus.

Cheryl had the same thoughts running through her mind. "He should be fine. This attack isn't that bad."

I looked at her somberly. "Look after him? I'll go clean up."

The busty blond nodded her head in response. "You might as well explain it Zero-kun after you're done."

Staring at her in faint surprise, I asked, "Is that okay?"

"You might as well," Al joined in. When the two of us turned to look at him, he shrugged his shoulders. "It's not like it's a secret in the Association anyways. It's better if he knows sooner rather than later."

"For once, I have to agree with Al," Cheryl replied, folding her arms loosely across her chest. She looked at me with her cerulean eyes and said, "Just do it. Even if we don't tell him, someone else will."

I blinked at the two of them for a moment before slowly nodding my head. "Okay." I lightly ruffled Al's hair, ignoring his protest, and murmured, "I hope it stops soon." Turning away, I began heading back to the kitchen, but not before looking over my shoulder and saying, "Try not to kill each other, okay?"

"We'll try," the two of them chorused simultaneously.

A small chuckle left me, but it soon died off. It was hard to bring myself to laugh fully in such a situation—my heart just wasn't into it. No matter how many times I witnessed it happening, I just couldn't stop myself from feeling a wave of despair. Perhaps it was because I understood the pain, the suffering, the emotions that were bound to cross their minds when it happened. The pleading that it would stop. The urge to just _make _it stop, no matter what it took… Even if it meant never opening your eyes again to see another day.

It was an understanding shared only between EX5.

Tentatively, I entered the absolutely silent kitchen. Even Arashi, who was usually cheerfully talking away, remained quiet. Looking around, I took notice of how nobody was eating their breakfast. Kaito was sitting on a seat located near the island looking grim, already understanding what had occurred. Zero was leaning against the counter next to the stove, Arashi sitting on the counter space right next to the silver-haired hunter. My younger brother had his eyebrows scrunched up together in confusion and worry, his full lips pulled into a downward pout. His large Tashiro eyes looked slightly glazed over. Zero, on the other hand, had taut posture and a deep scowl marring his handsome features.

However, my eyes fell onto the person kneeling on the floor wiping away at the liquid crimson, and I instantly objected. "No, Mana, I'll do it."

The onyx-haired teenager didn't look up at me, but continued wiping away at the floor. "It's okay, Ivy-chan. I can do this much, at least." Her grave tone explained her sense of helplessness.

"No," I insisted, bending down. I gripped her wrist, stopping her swiping movements. "Really, Mana. You shouldn't have to do this."

"But why should you?" she retorted, looking up at me. Her periwinkle eyes were glassy, just like Arashi's. Her voice sounded a bit stuffy. Looking at her, I almost reeled back. It was like a slap to my face, seeing her like this. I didn't know what to say or what to feel.

"I—" I stopped myself, not knowing what I was trying to say. I felt warmth bubbling slightly in my chest. She cared enough to cry over us. She was affected enough to be _this _upset over it. What right did I have to just tell her not to do something that would make her feel better? I understood how she felt, because I was just like her. So I stared into her eyes steadily and offered her a small, grateful smile. "Thank you, Mana."

She reflected my expression, relief in her eyes. As she continued to clean up, I stood back up and made my way over to where Zero and Arashi were. The youngest Tashiro reached his small arms out as I came closer, the area around his eyes getting a bit redder than before. I wrapped my arms around him the moment I could, squeezing him tightly.

He sniffled slightly. "Why is Al-kun hurt? Who hurt him, Ivy?"

"Nobody," I answered softly. "Al's just fine. Don't cry, okay? Al wouldn't want to play with you anymore," I teased, pulling away slightly to look at him.

Arashi looked at me suspiciously. "But Al-kun is bleeding now!"

My eyes were gentle as I looked at my younger brother's watery eyes. I could see myself mirrored in his lime and lemon orbs—did I always have that mist of sadness in my eyes? "It's because Al's sick, Arashi. It's okay."

Arashi frowned. "Will he get better soon?"

He just _had _to ask the question that I had been hoping he wouldn't. It was the only thing I didn't want him to ask, but I supposed I had set myself up for it. How was I going to explain this to my six-year-old brother who hadn't even been properly introduced into the supernatural world yet?

Feeling helpless, I struggled to explain things to him in a way that wouldn't scare him. "It depends on what you mean by 'get better,' Arashi. Al's going to stop bleeding soon, and then he can play airplane with you again. So you don't need to cry." I switched the subject before he could ask anything else. "Are you hungry, Arashi? I think Kaito wants to have breakfast with you."

"Where will Ivy go?" Arashi's eyebrows creased deeply as he looked at me worriedly.

I smiled at him reassuringly. "I'm just going to talk with Zero, okay?"

"You'll come eat after?" he asked innocently, blinking his wide eyes at me.

"Of course." I kissed his forehead before picking him up and bringing him over to Kaito, who knew he had to play along. He shot me a glance that asked a silent question, and I smiled slightly in response. He seemed more relaxed after seeing my reply, and he turned away to begin his task of entertaining Arashi.

Swiveling around, I caught Zero's eye. He stared at me with a dark expression on his face, and I tried to smile at him. Clasping my hands together behind my back, I moved closer to the kitchen's second exit, which led outside to one of the Association's gardens. "Talk with me, Zero?"

Sliding open the glass door, I stepped out onto the hardwood patio. Since it was still pretty early, the sky was still grey and dark. The breeze was also somewhat chilly, but I could ignore it. The fragrance of different species of flowers instantly hit me, but it wasn't anything too strong for me to handle. Rather, I thought that it was kind of nice.

Slipping on a pair of the spare flats that were there for guests to wear, I climbed down the veranda steps and onto the cement pavement that had been created as a path around the garden. I was a meter away from the last stair, bent down looking at one of the flowers that had grown, when Zero's scent mixed in with the flowers. I looked up at him as he shut the door behind him, an expectant look in his eyes.

I gestured for him to come closer, pointing at the flower. "The last time I had seen this, it had just been planted. Look at how it's blooming now!"

"Tashiro."

"Ivy," I immediately corrected. Sighing, I knew that he meant business. Standing up again, I looked at him seriously and requested, "Can we talk a bit farther away from the building? I don't want Arashi to see the expressions on our faces and think that something's wrong."

His eyes darted to their corners. "It's a bit too late for that." Yet, even though he said this, he slipped on a pair of shoes that were on the terrace and gracefully stepped down from the patio, heading toward me. As we both turned and began to walk away from the building in silence, I could feel him staring down at me, waiting for me to say something.

I glanced up at the silver-haired hunter, meeting his beautiful mauve eyes for a moment before looking away again. Taking a moment to gather and sort out my thoughts, I bit down on my lower lip as I pondered about my choice of words. Slowly, I asked him, "Do you remember my first day at Cross Academy? What happened in the bathroom?" It was a rhetorical question because the fact that he remembered it was manifest. "You never asked me about it. There hasn't been _once_ when you asked me what happened or _why _it happened."

"It wasn't any of my business," he retorted in his quiet, velvety smooth voice.

"You need to be curious _sometimes_, Zero," I told him, rolling my eyes at him good-naturedly and smiling. "Well, since you've never asked me, I'll have to explain everything right now. Prepare to be bored out of your mind while listening to me talk."

He let out a sigh. "You can't keep it short, Tashiro?"

"Ivy," I once again said. Grinning at him, I teased, "No way. Consider it punishment for your lack of interest in my well-being." I looked up and laughed at his displeased scowl. "But in all honesty, I can't keep it short even if I wanted to. Trust me, it's complicated."

"Mind starting then?" Zero subtly hinted.

I gave him a mock-scowl, but my lips automatically pulled up into a smile. It was like I was trying to negate his gloomy expressions with my cheerful ones. "Everyone—even I do this—considered what happened that day an 'illness attack.' It's... a relatively accurate description of what happens. And I say 'relatively' because it _is _a sort of a disease. But the thing is... it's only a disease that EX5 has."

He was listening attentively although his eyes were trained ahead of him. His tall, lean body wasn't relaxed, but rather a bit stiff. The scowl that always slept along his features seemed a bit more rigid than usual.

"Purebloods all have certain abilities that no other vampires have. They have _numerous _special powers that nobody really knows about. The possibilities are nearly infinite. Back then, everyone had just simply assumed that their abilities were things that would cause outward harm if it was an offensive ability." My eyes met his, my tone of voice turning into one that was tainted with sadness, my smile playing with something similar to misery. "We were wrong."

Spotting a bench ahead along the path of the garden, I quickened my pace so I could plop myself down on it. I gestured for Zero to hurry up, and I watched him carefully as he walked over in his usual pace, ignoring my prompt.

The delicate tresses of silver swayed slightly with every movement he made, as well as when they got teased by the wind that blew by. His actions were all made lithely and elegantly. He made it look so incredibly easy. For some reason, it looked different from how other vampires moved. After watching him for another few steps, I realized that it was because he didn't carry himself with an aura of royalty or superiority.

It made me smile because it was just like him.

Remaining silent until he sat down on the bench as well, I rested my hands along the edge of the last wooden plank, lightly swinging my legs. The bench had dipped a bit when he rested on it, a foot of space between us that made me remember back to when we were younger—back to when such a distance never existed.

Eradicating those thoughts from my mind, I focused on what we were talking about presently. Continuing where I had left off, I stared at my dangling legs as I said, "Al, Cheryl, Nao, Junko, and I... None of us were born as vampires. It just... sort of occurred. We just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time—out of everyone there, we just turned out to be the unlucky ones. Before any of us knew it, we had been bitten by him. He got away before he could get taken down. And at first, nobody really thought anything special about it. A Pureblood biting us... It wasn't normal, and it was horrible, but everyone regarded it as a normal Change. Nothing special. We were wrong about this, too.

"It was only after we completed Changing that we started getting these weird attacks. It was different for all of us, but it was also the same—some part of us would just hurt, and blood would just come out of our bodies one way or another. You've seen how it happens with Al; the blood seeps out of his eyes, like he's crying crimson tears. It was unusual and it was surprising to everyone at the Association. It wasn't something that happened just once, either. It happened a lot. So they finally brought the specialized doctors in. They ran a bunch of tests, did a bunch of experiments and research, and they came to a conclusion that seemed nearly surreal." I stopped for a moment, blinking my eyes. Stopping my moving legs, I let them touch the ground steadily once more.

Tilting my head up slightly, I stared up at the cloud-painted sky. It looked so gloomy, so desolate. It reminded me so much of how our worlds looked back then—how they sometimes _still _looked. "Our blood cells are different now as vampires compared to back when we were humans. It isn't the regular kind of 'different' that everyone who gets bitten goes through because of the Change." I wondered if I was making any sense. Considering I had known this for so long and had it explained to me carefully, every detail was so crystal clear to me. Yet I knew that I was horrible at explaining things.

I stopped looking up at the sky, bringing my head back straight. I turned my head to look at him, tilting it a bit as I asked him with a smile, "My blood smells a lot better than normal people's, right?" His eyes narrowed at me, and I laughed his expression. "It's not because you're bloodthirsty. It's not an opinion—it's a fact. My blood—Al's, Cheryl's, Junko's, Nao's—all our blood are a lot more tempting than others'. It's because of the alteration we went through. Have you ever found it weird how I seem to have so much blood in me? There's no way that anyone normal can lose half as much as blood as I can and actually survive it. Another thing that's caused by the modification. And have you ever wondered why we're all so strong? I mean, you've never seen the rest of them in battle, but you must have, at some point, questioned how it was possible that I was able to single-handedly eliminate so many of the vampires back at Cross Academy that day."

My mind flashed back to the numerous Level Es, Ds, and Cs that I had destroyed that day. Everything replayed itself like a movie inside my head. I remembered what I had done and what had happened. Looking back on it, I felt like I could have done so many things better.

"Our blood isn't fully human—or, well, it's not like the kind of blood a Level D should have. If we were to use the vampire ranking system to determine the value of our blood, I'd say..." I paused for a moment, thinking about it. "It's... In between Level A and Level B."

Zero's eyes met mine sharply. "_What_?"

A small chuckle left me, and I nodded my head at him. "Remember how Purebloods have unheard of abilities? This is one of his. Our blood is a mixture of ours and his. We always have his blood running through our systems. It's just that it's a bit more diluted. It's not as thick as the blood that he has. It's why we don't get thirsty nearly as easily as regular vampires—it's because just by having his blood in our systems, it's like we're being fed. And the thing is... Those 'attacks'—the reason why so much blood leaves our bodies is because our bodies are making room for another enormous batch of fresh blood. Our regular blood cells regenerate normally, so they're bound to eventually outnumber his, since they regenerate very slowly. Eventually, all of them would die off as our regular blood cells continue to reproduce. So when his blood cell count lowers to a certain percentage, our bodies immediately get another attack to replenish the supply. That's what's happening with Al—his body's reached that certain percentage, so it's instinctively creating new blood. The way it works is that, when reaching that specific proportion, his blood cells seem to realize they need to reproduce faster, and that's what they do. Our bodies just automatically discard the weaker blood cells—the regular vampire ones—for his."

I couldn't decipher the emotions on Zero's face. They would flutter across his features, settle for less than a second, and then vanish, only to be replaced by a new one. He didn't seem horrified or disgusted at this, but rather somewhat bewildered.

Another laugh escaped me. "It's kind of overwhelming, isn't it? It's a lot of information to take in. When I was first told this, my brain felt like it'd explode." Getting up off the bench, I whirled around to stand in front of him with a smile. "I'm sorry that I talked so much. I don't think I explained things very well either, but... We just thought we'd let you know. We figured that you had no idea about it even though it's not considered classified information in the Association, and the future President should know, right?" I stuck a hand out, offering to help him up even though there was no way he needed it. "Let's get going. I think Kaito's dying trying to keep up with Arashi's constant talking, and I want to check up on Al to make sure he's okay."

The silver-haired hunter stared at my hand for a moment before he, like I expected, ignored the gesture and stood up by himself. He muttered, "I'm not guaranteed the position."

I let my arm drop to my side and I followed after his walking figure. Hurrying so I could stroll beside him, I commented, "But you are, because I'm not going to be taking it. I'm not capable of such a position."

"And you think I am?" he flicked me a glance.

"Yup!" I agreed enthusiastically. "You're an amazing hunter, Zero. You can protect the people you care about from getting hurt. I can't do that—I can hardly even keep myself alive. Rather than being able to take care of the people I care about, _I'm _the one who's constantly being protected. If I can't even do something like ensure the safety of my family and my friends, how can I be worthy of the title?"

Zero abruptly stopped in his footsteps, causing me to halt as well. He turned his head to lock his burning, pale violet eyes with mine, his expression one that looked harsh, yet so tortured. "And what makes you think that I'm able to do any of those things?"

My gaze was unwavering. "What makes you think that you haven't, Zero? Is it because, even though you were by her side, Yuuki still turned into a Pureblood? Is it because Ichiru died?" The way his eyes seemed to crack told me the answer to my questions. Despite knowing how hard my words had hit him, I still ploughed on, my voice fierce. "Because if that's what you're still beating yourself up about, then you're wrong. Zero, you need to get past your feelings of guilt and self-blame. Do you really think you could have done anything about Yuuki, Zero? What could you have done? She wasn't born a human. The reality is that she's always been a vampire—it's just been suppressed for a while. But just because she's a Pureblood, that doesn't mean anything else about her is different. She was born before you even existed. You have no control over something like that. And as for Ichiru..." I trailed off.

I thought back to him, the younger Kiriyuu twin that had similar eyes and similar hair. There were so many memories of him that it was hard to restrain myself from drowning in them. I often wondered how he was and how he was doing. Sometimes, I wondered if he was happy now that part of him resided in Zero, but then I realized that it was a foolish question to ask myself.

"Ichiru died because he was protecting someone he loved," I finished in a softer tone. My eyes never left Zero's as I murmured, "It's not your fault. If you think it is, you need to stop being conceited. It's like saying you think that you had control over how Ichiru felt. You can't possibly think that you can rule someone's emotions. Ichiru didn't die for you, Zero. He died for _himself_. He died doing something that he wanted to do, for _himself_. It wouldn't have mattered if you were close with him or not. He wanted to do it—he wanted to take that risk, fully knowing what the consequences could be. He took that chance, and he lost the gamble. Just because he appeared in your cell that night doesn't mean he purposely went and got himself killed to help you. It just so happened that he knew he could be of help to his beloved brother, despite the state he had been in."

"And you would know because?" Zero demanded, a defensive sort of edge to his voice. I almost wanted to ask him if he heard a single thing I had said, but I held my words back. Looking into his eyes, I felt like I was looking into a pool of despair.

He had no idea, but his eyes screamed out for someone to save him.

"I told you earlier, didn't I?" I smiled at him slightly. "Ichiru visited us often. We're all really close with him. I like to think that I know him quite well." That was an understatement, if I could say so myself. Perhaps I was just being arrogant, but I felt like I understood Ichiru very deeply. But then again, maybe that was because we both shared very similar feelings.

Zero's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he caught onto to something that he had missed earlier. "'Visited'? Where would he always visit?"

I continued walking, seeing the patio ahead. Hurrying up the steps, I waved at Arashi, who was in the middle of taking a sip of his juice when he had spotted me, through the window. Slipping off the flats I had borrowed, I turned around and grinned widely at Zero over my shoulder right before sliding the kitchen's glass door open. "That's a story that I'll tell you another day, 'kay?"

* * *

><p>"Why was Cheryl so adamant on being with Zero, Ivy?" Kaito asked me as we wandered through town. We walked side by side, our pace neutral. Arashi was walking along my other side, whipping his head around as his wide eyes tried to take everything in. His hand felt so small in mine, and it reminded me of just how delicate Arashi was.<p>

At Kaito's words, I immediately thought back to the discussion that had taken place after we all finished breakfast. We had been deciding as a group who would form the pairs, and when Kaito had suggested that Zero and I go as a pair, Cheryl's protest could've broken the island we had been sitting at. She wouldn't say anything about why she was so insistent to be with Zero as a pair, and everyone eventually relented. I ended up with Kaito and Arashi—who, of course, would be with me—and that left Mana with Al. The princess-like blond never outright told me what her intentions were, but I felt like I had a very good idea when I thought back to the talk that she and I had shared.

I made a sound that was a mixture between a laugh and a sigh. "She doesn't really want me to be around Zero." _That _was simplifying it.

"I think we all understood that," Kaito responded, his light hazel eyes darting over to look at me for a fleeting second. "But what I want to know is _why_."

"She doesn't want me to get attached to him," I explained. When he gave me a look encouraging me to continue on, I shook my head at him. "Trust me, it's better if you don't know."

His look was skeptical, but he didn't press it. "Whatever you say, twat."

"How do you think the rest of them are doing?" I inquired curiously. Kaito and I were on the west side of town, visiting homes as well as speaking to whoever we met on the streets. We had already encountered a ton of people, and while not many of them believed us at first, proof of my fangs had them immediately retreating away. However, rumours of vampires had already been circulating in this town for many years now, so when we tried to explain how we weren't their enemy, it seemed to go somewhat smoothly. We ran into some hysterical people, though—we ended up knocking them out and bringing them back to Headquarters that way. After confirming who they were and their family, we ended up tracking them down.

Kaito shrugged. "Who knows?" Taking a moment to contemplate it, however, he predicted, "They should be fine. Most people in this town have already heard of vampire tales, and many claimed to have seen vampires. At this rate, it shouldn't be too hard to get everyone into Headquarters. As long as we can deal with the more difficult ones, at least."

Nodding my head thoughtfully, I voiced aloud my agreement. Spotting a woman who was walking down the street toward us, Kaito and I shared a look before stopping her as we met one another halfway.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Kaito greeted politely. The woman had delicate features and was very pretty, her short hair neat and slicked. Something about her looked extremely familiar. My eyebrows pulled together slightly as I wracked my brain to see if I had ever met her before. She, too, kept looking at me as if she was trying to figure out who I was.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sounding concerned and perplexed.

"We have something to—" I stopped speaking, the memory of her crashing into me instantly. Both our eyes widened as realization hit us both at the same time. Snapping my fingers, I pointed at her afterwards and grinned. "Yoshito's mom?"

She nodded her head enthusiastically, a wide smile stretching across her face. "Yes! No wonder you looked so familiar." She reached a hand out, and I accepted it. "I still feel so much gratitude to you for that day."

Kaito looked at the two of us. "You're already acquainted with one another?"

"Somewhat," she admitted with a small laugh. Gesturing toward me, she explained to him, "My son had disappeared one evening and I had been searching desperately for him. It was this young lady that brought him back to me safely."

"You remember that day, don't you, Kaito?" He had been there restraining Zero, after all.

He blinked his eyes as the memory resurfaced. "Ah, yes, I do remember that."

Nodding enthusiastically, the woman turned back to me and said, "I'm so sorry, but I never got your name. It seems so rude of me. I've always wondered whether or not we'd meet again."

I grinned at her, bowing formally. "I'm Tashiro Kaori, but everyone calls me Ivy. It's nice to meet you once again." Pulling Arashi so he stood in front of me, I placed a hand on his head and introduced affectionately. "This is my younger brother, Arashi."

The youngest Tashiro sibling flushed as he looked up at me accusingly with his wide eyes. Burying his head into my shirt, he remained silent. He was so timid when it came to meeting strangers, it was both adorable and exasperating.

"C'mon, say hi, Arashi," I prompted in an encouraging tone.

"... H-Hi," he managed to stammer out in a mumble after a few moments.

She laughed, her eyes sparkling as she looked at me. "He's adorable." Copying my gesture from earlier, she introduced, "My name's Spencer Fumie. It's nice to finally officially meet you. The pleasure is all mine." When she straightened up, she looked at Kaito and smiled. "And you?"

Kaito bowed slightly. "Takamiya Kaito. It's nice to meet you."

"How's Yoshito?" I asked her, a memory of the crying boy's bright emerald eyes rematerializing in my mind. He had seemed so terrified back then, his small body trembling. If I had the chance, I wanted to see him smiling brightly rather than crying his eyes out.

"He's just great, thank you so much for asking," Fumie said. "He's actually been wondering when he'd see you again as well. He looks for you when we walk through town."

"Is that so?" I laughed. "I'd love to see him again. I think that he and Arashi would get along."

Her head bobbed up and down in agreement. Clapping her hands in delight, she confirmed, "Absolutely!"

I was just about to say something else when I caught Kaito's eyes. The look he sent me from behind Fumie told me to stop with the small talk and get to the point. He was trying to remind me of why we had stopped her in the first place. Retracing my words, I changed what I had meant to say. "Actually, speaking of Yoshito and that incident, there's something really important that we wanted to tell you."

"Oh yes, of course," she nodded once again. Her expression turned a bit more solemn as she blinked at us and inquired, "What is it?"

I phrased my question cautiously. "Have you ever been involved in the vampire gossip that's been a lingering talk in this town?"

"I've heard of them, yes," she admitted.

Sharing another brief peek at Kaito, I continued on, "Do you believe in them?"

Her expression slowly fell into a much, much graver look. Sternness settled onto her features, her eyes narrowing just slightly as her lips thinned into a line. Her body was tense as she watched us warily, her happy-go-lucky aura disappearing in the blink of an eye. "Why do you ask?"

"Would you believe us if we told you that there will be a vampire ambush on this town sometime in the near future?" No matter how you looked at it, the way Kaito said it implied that it wasn't just a story, but a fact. He stared at her with piercing hazel eyes, his gaze strong and intense.

"I—_what_?" she looked taken aback.

"We know it sounds crazy," I started, "but we want you to hear us out."

"Yes, _please_!" she exclaimed, her dark brown eyes wide. They darted between the two of us frantically, but I couldn't tell if she was a believer or not. Her reaction seemed to be sending me mixed signals.

Kaito took the job of explaining it. "If you believe in vampires, then you've surely heard of vampire hunters as well." At her silence and attentive expression, he continued, "That's us."

Her eyes looked like they would pop out of their sockets. "But you're both so _young_."

"Age really doesn't matter. Looks can be quite deceiving," I told her with a faint smile.

"We've been monitoring the vampires of this town for a long time, and it's been predicted that there will be an enormous attack here. The vampires we're anticipating will be aiming to take as many human lives as possible." Kaito spoke swiftly.

Fumie gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. Horror flooded into her voice. "No..."

"Unfortunately, that's the truth," I told her. "As vampire hunters, our Headquarters have strong wards that will prevent vampires from being able to get inside. We've been trying to gather everyone that resides in this town to come and live with us at Headquarters for a few days. We want to make sure that it's safe and vampire-free before allowing you guys back to your daily lives."

"Your Headquarters?" she sounded bemused.

Nodding, I picked up on her thoughts. "You don't see it because of other wards that create an illusion in your mind. That's why you've never been aware of its existence."

"We hope that you're willing to participate in our plan," Kaito said. "This is the best way to keep you, as well as your family, safe."

"Please," I murmured, looking at her with an earnest expression playing along my face.

She only needed a moment to ponder it before nodding her head slowly. "Of course. I believe you. If I had to be honest, my family and I have been aware of the existence of vampires for a while now. It's why I was so worried about Yoshito that day."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god you believe us." I smiled at her. "Please bring your family. And if possible, please help us spread the word."

"You only need to bring the necessities," Kaito notified her. "We'll be feeding everyone with our own food, so don't concern yourself with that."

"I understand," she nodded. Her eyes were sharp and very clear. "Where is your Headquarters?"

I reached into the pocket of my trench coat and pulled out a small card with the address written on it. Thinking better of it, I took out a few more and explained, "Just in case your friends or others that you encounter are in need of the address."

"Thank you," she accepted them into her hands. "I'll definitely try my best to help gather the people of this town."

Shaking my head at her, I smiled at her gratefully. "No, _we're _the ones who should be thanking you. You're being a great help."

"I'm glad to hear it." She returned my look. "I'll go now and get my husband and Yoshito. If I meet anyone along the way, I'll surely tell them!"

Nodding, I said, "Please be careful!"

"We'll see you there later," Kaito replied.

Fumie waved at us, a motion that Kaito and I both returned, before she hurried down the street she had just come from and disappeared into an apartment complex. After watching her enter, Kaito, Arashi, and I continued along.

"She's one of easiest people we've dealt with today," Kaito commented almost absentmindedly.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I'm glad. I didn't know what I'd do if she didn't believe us." It would be horrible if she was one of those people that just refused the idea of anything supernatural. Since I sort of knew her, I would've felt incredibly cruel if I had to knock her out and drag her somewhere that she didn't want to be. I couldn't even imagine what her husband and Yoshito would say upon hearing about it.

"I can't believe she remembered you," Kaito thoughtfully said. It came out of his lips so casually, but to me, it sounded like it was a hidden insult. Of course, I knew that he said it with no ill intent, but it still made me roughly nudge him in the stomach with my elbow.

"I saved her son." My tone of voice attempted to make myself sound significant, but from the look on Kaito's face, it was evident that it wasn't working.

The tawny-haired hunter opened his mouth to make some undoubtedly sarcastic response, but a deafening shrill cut him off. With our eyebrows furrowed, we both turned our heads towards the general direction that the screaming was coming from. It sounded like a woman, but at the same time, it could be passed off as a high-pitched male voice. Since there was no rain to diminish the smell, two familiar scents came from the same direction as the scream, which was maybe a few blocks over to our right.

"What was that?" Arashi asked me, his round face twisting into a frown. Tugging on my hand, he said, "It's loud and it sounds bad."

"Zero and Cheryl are there," I notified Kaito in a quiet voice. "The person they're talking to must be one of the more noisy and hysterical ones." Looking down at Arashi, I told him, "Don't worry about it, Arashi. Someone's probably just mad that they lost a game."

Arashi's furrowed eyebrows deepened. "But when I play hide and seek, I don't make that sound."

He was so adorable that I wanted to just smother him in hugs and kisses. Yet I knew that this was definitely not the time to be gushing and doting over my younger brother. Crouching down so that we were at a closer eye-level, I reminded him, "There are more games out there than hide and seek, right?"

"But hide and seek is the funnest," Arashi protested, sounding like he disapproved. He pouted cutely, folding his arms across his small chest. The youngest Tashiro sibling was definitely a hide and seek lover—I had been told he never got tired of playing that game, even if they played for numerous hours and hours.

"Do you want to go see what they're playing?" I was asking Arashi, but my words were also a suggestion to Kaito. From the corner of my eyes, I saw him give a small nod.

The little boy thought it over for a brief moment, making a "hmm" sound as he did so. Eventually, he nodded his head. "Okay, let's go. I can show him that hide and seek is the _best_!" And then he patted his stomach and looked at me with a wide grin. "Then ice cream?"

Unable to help it, I let out a laugh. Ruffling his hair, I negotiated, "How about I take you to that parfait store that just opened up? But only after we see what's happening, alright?"

"Okay!" Arashi approved enthusiastically. However, after a few steps, Arashi pulled lightly on my hand again and whispered, "What's 'pafey'?"

I burst out into a round of laughter while Kaito, although usually solemn and unsmiling, allowed a small chuckle to escape him. The older hunter gave me an amused look, like he was wondering how it was possible that a Tashiro sibling could possibly be so innocent and naive. From what I knew, it was because Arashi had yet to learn about the vampire world and what kind of family he was brought into. Considering how old he was, it wouldn't be long before they would start coming down on him hard and nailing into him the basics—I wanted to be able to savour his moments of innocence and purity before they got tainted by the dark world of vampire hunters.

"You'll see when I get you one," I told him brightly. "Don't worry, you'll love it, Arashi. It's sweet."

His green and gold eyes sparkled at the last word, a smile already breaking across his face. "Sweet?"

"_Really _sweet," I assured him with a grin. He jumped up and down upon hearing this, picking up his pace. His small legs couldn't bring him too much farther ahead of us than just a few steps, but that was also because our interlocked hands wouldn't let go of one another's.

"You shouldn't be feeding him something like parfaits for lunch," Kaito scolded me lightly. "You're going to ruin his health. What kind of older sister are you?"

"Shh!" I exclaimed, putting a finger to my lips. "Nobody needs to know about this one time, okay? It seems like such a waste if I don't let him have some while we're already in town."

Kaito rolled his eyes and gave a small scoff. "Can't you just _make _the kid some parfaits for dessert?"

"And when do you think I'll have time to do that?" I shot back at him, raising my eyebrows. "You and I both know that as soon as the rebellion is over, the three of us are going straight back to Cross Academy. And during this time, I really don't think that I have enough leisure moments to make dessert for people."

"Chances are that the rebellion will last a few days, and in that time we'll need—" What Kaito was saying got interrupted by another loud, ear-splitting wail that made me wince slightly and reach up to cover one of my ears. It came toward us really quickly, and the sound of footsteps flowed to our ears. We watched as a man, who was of average height but scarily thin, ran toward us as fast as his skinny legs could carry him.

Cheryl, already having noticed our presences, hollered, "Stop that man, damn it!"

"Hey, you—" Kaito tried to make a grab for him as he ran by shrieking, but he missed by a hair's breath.

"Excuse—" I somehow managed to grab a handful of the shirt he was wearing, but upon noticing this, he only screeched louder. His voice was so unbelievably high, it made my head ring. The sound was similar to that of a banshee's, and without giving a care in the world, he continued running off with a force so strong that the fabric of his shirt ripped, leaving me with a portion of it. He continued on his way, going faster than he did before.

Kaito gave me a glance, his eyes flickering over to Arashi, who looked both mystified and scared. Already turning around to follow the man, he said, "You go get lunch or whatever, I'll catch up with you later!"

"But Kaito—"

Cheryl was a blur of blond hair as she sprung past me. "What are you doing, Ivy? Don't be in a daze!" Her long and slender legs rapidly moved underneath her as she trailed after the wailing man. She was only a few steps behind Kaito, and she was gaining on him quickly. The two of them seemed to share a mutual understanding as they ran side by side together, rounding a corner and then disappearing from my sight.

I stood rooted in my spot, staring in a dumbfounded manner at where they had just been. "_What_?" I mumbled underneath my breath, somewhat torn between what I should be doing. I knew that I shouldn't actually go and get lunch like Kaito had said, but I was also aware of the fact that I couldn't go on any wild goose chases because I was Arashi's guardian, and there was absolutely no way that he could run _nearly _as fast as I could.

"You're in my way," Zero's voice sounded from behind me.

Unsurprised, I turned around and looked at him. "You say that to me a lot."

"It's the truth," he replied.

"Ivy." Arashi yanked lightly on my hand again, causing both of us to look down at the youngest person present. "What was that? Was he scared?"

Placing the hand with the fabric I had ripped off into the pocket of my overcoat, I said, "Yes."

"Why?" Arashi questioned innocently.  
><em><br>Because he was told about an oncoming human slaughter from supernatural beings that shouldn't exist_. Rather than saying that, I settled for switching the topic in a desperate hope that he wouldn't realize it. "Do you want your parfait now, Arashi? I'm getting kind of hungry, too."

It seemed to work to some extent. He didn't appear to completely forget the subject regarding the man, but he seemed to know that I didn't really want to say anything. It was one of the traits that he had and Satoshi shared, which was something I was grateful for.

"I want some pafeys," he eventually said.

Catching Zero's eyes, I smiled at him and invited, "Come along with us?"

"I—"

"Oh, _please_?" Arashi interrupted whatever Zero was going to say. He beamed brightly up at the silver-haired hunter, his smile wide enough to break his face in half. His eyes were gleaming with excitement, his cheeks flushed. It was obvious that Arashi had some sort of affection for Zero. "Please, Zero? Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty _please_?"

Zero's amethyst orbs were soft as he gazed down at my younger brother. Although seemingly taciturn and stoic, it was so clear that he had a soft spot for children. It showed just how gentle and kind he was, even if he tried to hide it. It really warmed my heart, and I found that it was so incredibly cute.

I couldn't help but give a small laugh, which diverted his attention back to me. I pointed out to him, "Arashi really wants you to come, as you can see. And I'm pretty sure that Kaito and Cheryl will catch that man just fine. Out of all of us, Cheryl _loves _running the most. She might not look like it, but she's probably the second fastest out of EX5." Many people found it strange that the blond beauty loved to run, but hated sweating. It was only when they realized that Cheryl rarely perspired did they understand her love for exercise.

His eyes darted down from mine to my brother's, and the reason why he reluctantly agreed was obvious. "Fine."

"Yay!" Arashi exclaimed, exploding into loud laughter. He grinned like he had just caught Santa red-handed, his eyes shining like the stars did against the pitch black of the night sky. He held his spare hand out to Zero, a sign that meant he wanted to hold hands with the silver-haired hunter. Zero gave me a slight glower, like he was telling me that this was all my fault, but he still reached out and gently clasped Arashi's tiny hand with his much larger one. Skipping in between the two of us, Arashi happily swung our arms back and forth, not seeming to run out of energy at all.

Since he was so eager and so lively, he was practically leading the two of us through the streets. I gave him directions on how to get to the parfait store, and though I knew that we were supposed to be speaking with the townspeople, we seemed to have momentarily abandoned that mission for now.

People stared at us as we walked by, whispering both positive and negative things. I tried to tune them out, but it wasn't really working. When I slid my eyes over to Zero, his expression was still plastered into a mild scowl like always. Nothing about his countenance changed—it was almost as if he didn't even hear anything from the citizens.

When we finally got to the parfait shop, I reached out to pull open the door, but a longer arm stretched out and opened it instead. Surprised, I looked a bit over my shoulder and up at Zero, who stared down at me with an unreadable expression on his face.

I pretended to cough in order to cover up both my laugh as well as my smile. I never really doubted he was the chivalrous type. "Thank you."

The waitress there was a girl that looked like she was in her really early twenties. Her short blond hair was curled at the ends and she had dazzling grey eyes rimmed with makeup. The maid-like uniform seemed to flatter her body extremely well. The small nameplate that was pinned onto the front of her white apron had the name "Penny" written on it. She was very beautiful by human standards, and she smiled at us charmingly as we walked in. "Welcome! A table for three?"

"Yes please," I answered, returning her smile with one of my own.

"This way." Something flickered across her expression as she grabbed three menus from underneath the podium she had been standing at and gestured for us to follow her. We weaved through some tables, trying to ignore the stares or other customers, and were brought to a table that was next to the window, but situated in the middle area.

I let Arashi slide in first, and then followed after him. Zero sat himself on the small loveseat across from us, his scowl deepening faintly. It was clear that he didn't want to be here. It made me feel somewhat guilty for having forced him to come along, but I knew that Arashi really wanted to spend some more time with him.

Penny set down the menus and said, "I'll be your waitress for today. If there's anything you need, please feel free to inform me. For the time being, can I get you anything to drink, or would you like a few minutes to look at the menu?"

"Do you mind giving us a few minutes?" I asked her with a sheepish look.

"Sure thing!" she chirped, but something about her smile seemed strained. "I'll be back when you're ready."

"Thank you," I told her. She merely widened her slightly tight smile and walked away. Before she left, though, her eyes seemed to narrow at me mildly for a second before she turned her gaze toward my vampire hunter companion, a somewhat dazed expression entering her features. It made me laugh a bit as I handed the menu over to Arashi, who took it into his hands eagerly.

"What?" Zero inquired, not even picking up his menu.

Shaking my head, I commented in a dismissive manner, "You're just really star-striking."

His eyes narrowed. He obviously didn't take it as a compliment. "_What_?"

"I mean it as a good thing!" I exclaimed, holding my hands up in a don't-shoot-me pose. After a moment, I grinned at him and balanced the menu straight up on the table so that he could see as well. I tilted my head at him and asked, "What would you like?"

"Nothing," he answered.

"No, get something," I insisted. "It's my treat. I feel bad about making you come, so I want to at least do something like this. Anything is fine as long as you like it."

He gave me a glower. "I've already told you that I dislike sweets, Tashiro."

"Ivy," I corrected for what seemed like the millionth time. "Some of these things aren't that sweet. They're really good; I always hear really great things about this place from Lydia."

Before Zero could respond, Arashi lightly tapped on my thigh and cried out, "I dunno what a pafey is, Ivy! All of them look so yummy!"

Laughing, I set the menu I was holding back down onto the table. "Okay, c'mere." I held my arms out and scooped him up so that he sat in my lap. Leaning my head to the side a bit so I could look at the menu over his tiny shoulder, I pointed at a picture on the menu. "This is a parfait."

Arashi gasped. "It's like cake!"

Amused, I wondered if that was really what it looked like to him. "It's more like ice cream or yogurt, Arashi."

"Ice cream is yummy, too!" he pointed to a bunch of different things on the menu. "What's this? And this? This is all green! Zero, Ivy, it's all _green_!"

"You can't eat all this, Arashi," I lightly reprimanded. "You're going to get a stomach-ache. Remember what happened last time?"

He frowned instantly. "Oh yes. That wasn't fun."

"Is there one that you really like?" I asked him, attempting to help him narrow down his choices, since it was clear to everyone that he wanted to devour everything on the menu. He seemed to share my entire family's undeniable love for food.

The dark red-brown-haired Tashiro thought about it extremely hard. He bit down roughly on his lower lip, his expression so serious it would make one think he was deciding something that would change his life. After a long moment, he pointed at the parfait picture and nodded. "This one!"

"Mango, right?" I asked, already knowing his favourite kind of fruit.

He nodded his head again in confirmation before turning to look at Zero. "What is Zero getting?"

"I don't want anything," Zero told him simply. His usually edged voice took on a much softer, gentler tone that had me smiling at him almost absentmindedly.

"No, no, no," Arashi shook his head, his tone disapproving. I wanted to snicker, because it seemed like Arashi was acting as Zero's father. "You need to try!"

Repeating what he had told me before, Zero said, "I don't like sweet things."

Arashi's eyes widened to the point where they looked like they would pop out of their sockets. Completely horrified, he switched his gaze to me and then back to Zero. "No way!" When Zero showed no signs of telling a joke, Arashi kept the appalled look on his face. "_No_?"

Zero shook his head, strands of his delicate silver hair falling into his hauntingly breathtaking eyes. He sat straight, one arm lying across the table while the other had its elbow propped up, his chin resting in his smooth palm. "No."

"Not even Ivy's?!" Arashi asked him loudly, his young voice laced with outrage and shock. A disbelieving look was on my younger brother's face—he looked like Zero had just told him bunnies were evil robots that would eventually try and take over the entire world by nibbling the human race to death.

The eighteen-year-old hunter looked at me, as if wondering what he was supposed to say to that. Quickly, I interrupted the two males' conversation. "No, no, Arashi! Zero's going to order something!"

"He will?" Arashi inquired, sounding confused.

Looking up at Zero, whose eyes conveyed that he wanted to murder me slowly and painfully, I merely grinned at him in response. "Of course he will, Arashi. I think he wants you to pick for him what you want him to try."

"I can?" Awe was in his voice as he looked up at Zero expectantly.

"I—" Zero paused, stopping himself. Closing his eyes, he exhaled deeply in an attempt to control himself. "Yes."

Clapping his hands, Arashi grinned vibrantly. "I already know!" Stabbing his index finger at one of the pictures, he declared resolutely, "This one!"

I blinked at the picture, surprised at what he had picked. "Why this one, Arashi?"

Looking worried and confused, my younger brother turned his head to look at me, a frown playing along his lips. "Zero don't like blueberries?"

"…I do," Zero answered in his low, silky smooth voice after a moment. Slanting my brother a gaze, he asked, "How did you know?"

Arashi swiveled his head to look at Zero, blinking his eyes innocently. "Because Ivy likes blueberries! One time, Ivy told Arashi that Zero and Ivy fought over them years and years ago! Arashi remembers because Ivy never fights for blueberries at home. Nobody likes them much."

My lips tugged upwards at the memory of what had happened that day when we were younger. I still remembered it crystal clear; I had been feeling horrible the entire day, but that petty fight with Zero had brightened my day. It was probably because I had gotten all my steam off while ranting to him about how he was trying to steal my food, and at the end of our dispute, I had already vented off my negative feelings so I could freely laugh at our stupid argument.

His gorgeous lilac eyes were piercing as they looked straight at me. His expression was pulled into a scowl, but there was something strange about it. His eyes as well—it was like he was trying to decipher me again. Or was it a look that showed just how lost he was? He was staring at me as if he was trying to look for something that would jog his memory so that he could remember, but it just wouldn't work.

"Tash—"

"Hi! Are you guys ready to order now?" Penny piped, popping up at our table cheerfully. I wanted to sigh in relief, and I was sure that it showed on my face when I gazed up at her. She was holding a notepad and a pencil, waiting patiently for our order. Her stormy eyes strayed to Zero more than just once, and it was _so _like the silver-haired hunter to be oblivious to the numerous eyes he attracted.

"Yes," I affirmed. "We'd like a mango parfait, a slice of blueberry pie and blueberry cheesecake, and... Can we get medium servings of caramel coffee, mango, and vanilla ice cream when we ask for the bill?"

"Of course," she answered amiably. "Anything to drink?"

"Mango smooz... smooth—"

"One water," I interrupted, pretending to scowl at Arashi. I pinched one of his cheeks playfully and smiled when he giggled, swatting my hand away. Looking back up at her, I continued, "One cup of coffee with two sugars and two creams, and..." I looked at Zero, Penny following my gaze.

He barely flicked her a glance. "Water's fine."

"Alright then." After confirming our orders, she grinned at us—Zero, really—and said, "Your orders will be right up!" She gathered up the menus and then pranced off, her curls bouncing with every step she took.

I set Arashi back onto the seat so he was off my lap. When he gave me a strange look, I said, "I can't eat when you sit like that, right?"

Although he looked a bit dejected, Arashi still nodded in understanding. I lightly tapped the underside of his chin and grinned at him before turning to look at Zero. "I'm sorry about forcing you here."

He made a noncommittal sound. "Can you eat all that you ordered?"

I blinked at him in mild bemusement. "What, did I order a lot?"

"The ice cream at the end," he specified.

"Oh, that!" I beamed up at him. "Of course that's one for each of us. If I remember correctly, you _do _like vanilla ice cream, don't you?"

"Again," he muttered in a loathing tone. He scowled intensely at me. "Again you know something about me from the past, yet I don't—I can't remember." His eyes were clouded over with a storm of conflicting emotions that were so clearly seen despite the barriers he put up.

"No wonder," I gave a brief chuckle. At his silently questioning look, I explained, "You looked really bothered. I thought that it was because of the rebellion and everything, but... You know, Zero..." I trailed off, turning to stare out the window at the people passing by. My voice was quiet as I told him, "It's okay if you don't remember."

I could see him shaking his head slightly through his reflection on the mirror. "I want to know. I _need _to remember." His next words seemed to have been spoken nearly subconsciously underneath his breath. "Who… are you?"

It was a question that plagued me, too. That one question struck me so hard, but I tried desperately not to show it. I recomposed myself as quickly as I could, trying not to let it get to me. It was a common thing to ask—something that many people didn't see as a big deal. They could answer it easily, confidently, because they _weren't like me._  
><em><br>Tashiro Kaori._

That was my name. That was who I was. It never changed, and it never really _would _change. I knew that he didn't want to hear that sort of answer. And yet, what response was I supposed to grace him with?

The question itself always hurt. Thinking about it made me squirm uncomfortably inside, and my heart would be in unrest. However, I felt like part of why this time seemed so different was because it was _him_. And it was because of this that it seemed to hit ten times harder than it usually did.

Heartbeats of silence flowed between us as I slowly dragged myself out of my mess of thoughts. Turning to look at him, I smiled at him slightly and answered softly, "Nobody important if you can't remember."

For a moment, tension crackled between the two of us. I realized that the way I had phrased my words had been strange—it could have been taken in two ways, but I had only meant it in one.

The brush of regret in his eyes told me had misunderstood my meaning. "I—"

"I didn't mean it in that way," I interrupted him with a tiny laugh. "I'm not trying to guilt you or anything—if you can't remember, then you just can't remember. I'm okay with it. It already passed, so why does it really matter when we're here now? I literally just mean that if you can't remember, then I truly didn't play a very significant role in your life, and that's the reason why. Don't sweat it, Zero. Really."

But even as I said this, was it wrong of me to have this panging feeling in my chest? Each word I said seemed like a stab to the heart that sent a dagger screwing deeper and deeper every time. It wasn't because I was offended or angry, but rather, I think it was just because he had meant so much to me.

My salvation.

And although I had already expected it, it just pained me a bit more to know that I didn't matter at all to him. It was one of those feelings you got when you held your friend at a higher spot than they held you. It was just that awkward, somewhat hurt, feeling to know that they meant more to you than you did to them.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Attempting to evade the subject—something that I had been doing a lot recently—I didn't let him respond as I wracked my brain for something, _anything_, to say. Remembering something that was important, I let out a surprised noise. "I almost forgot!"

Zero looked at me expressionlessly. I had a feeling that he knew I was just avoiding the topic, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, it seemed like he was rather glad that we weren't speaking about that anymore. I didn't blame him; after all, what I had said seemed to have put him in a bad position.

Propping my elbows up onto the table and interlacing my fingers together, I rested my chin on top of the small platform I created with my hands. Beaming at him, I said, "Thank you, Zero."

"For what?"

"I fell asleep in class the day before yesterday," I reminded him, noticing when his eyes flickered with realization and recollection. I didn't really need to say more about what he had done, because we both knew, and nobody else really needed to. "It must have been troublesome for you. I'm sorry about that."

"That wasn't the problem," Zero brushed off my apology and my gratitude. Eyes narrowed and distaste decorating his handsome features, he asked, "Did you forget the most basic rule of hunters?"

My eyes lowered from his, understanding what he was talking about. The rule that you learned first—the rule that was, in all reality, merely common sense. It was, however, the most complicated rule as it enclosed all the other things you learned as a hunter. Although it was one of the most significant policies, there were so many instances that hunters overlooked it, or had forgotten for merely just a second.

It was a second that could have killed them.  
><em><br>Never let your guard down._

"Yagari was there," I murmured.

"Even Sensei wouldn't have been able to keep all of them off you," Zero retorted. His gaze was assessing, calculating. "Just because you're also a vampire... Do you believe that they wouldn't have sucked you dry?"

Sometime during my thoughts, the smile had slipped off my face. It remained invisible as I said quietly, "Yuuki was also there."

He tried not to let her name affect him. "What does that change?"

"She's kind," I answered gently, my mind flashing back to the long-haired brunette with warm crimson eyes and a sort of beauty that should be illegal. She was so astounding that, sometimes, all I wanted to do was disappear. "She wouldn't have let them do anything."

"She lets herself get pushed around," Zero flatly countered. His words were harsher than they needed to be, and his voice was laced with a rough edge, but for some reason, no matter how many coats of pretenses he put over his tone, I still found that it sounded so incredibly soft. His eyes were the same. "She wouldn't have been able to do anything."

A petite chuckle left me. Shaking my head at him faintly, I felt my lips pulling up at the corners, even though they felt so incredibly heavy. "She's strong. It might not seem like it, but she is. I..." My sentence drifted off, my eyes shifting over to stare at my younger brother again. He had his palms pressed against the window pane, but upon seeing me looking at him, he whirled around and grinned at me.

For some reason, I felt like I was being choked.

Fighting through the tightness in my throat, I said in a breath just as quiet as falling snow, "I can only wish to be like her."

It was such an absentminded thing, I had hardly been aware that I had said it at all, but when I did, my entire body stiffened. I could see myself reflected on the glass—could see the wide, panicking eyes that were desperately trying to cover up again.  
><em><br>Say something_, my mind urged me frantically. _Say something! Maybe he didn't hear it; just play it off coolly! _

Yet I was too scared to see his reaction.

The silence between us only lasted a heartbeat before the shop's door slammed open thunderously, causing all heads to turn to see who was creating such a ruckus. Relief flooded through me at the much needed disturbance, and my entire body relaxed upon seeing two familiar figures heading towards our table.

Without a word, Cheryl sat on the seat next to me after roughly shoving me aside so she had some more room. When I shot her a look, she quirked an eyebrow at me and grinned deviously. "You better have ordered my share."

Unable to stop myself, I laughed. I had to admit that this time, Cheryl's adamant perspective on keeping Zero and I apart had worked to my advantage.

After all, everything about Zero was perceptive, observant, and vigilant. He was the kind of person who watched others carefully, his eyes and mind taking in everything about them. He was the sort of person who liked to pick other people to pieces—to put them under a magnifying glass and take a deeper look, even if he did it unintentionally. And it was such perspective people that were horrible for people like me—

People who wanted to be opaque diamonds.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

"CHAPTER'S SO LONGGG!" Well, yes, my loves, it is.

I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKED IT. I felt like I included SO much in this chapter. I had information about Ivy and EX5 in there, I had Zero and Ivy in there, I had Arashi in there, and I had secret hints and it's like MINDBLOWN. I'm proud of myself, as I'm sure you can tell. But then again, if I think about it, I always have secret hints in my chapters... So I guess that's not something to be so arrogant about, but STILL.

There was so much that I loved about this chapter, I just don't even know what I loved the most. I had so much fun writing it, I didn't even know how many pages I had written until I was done. When I saw that it was twenty pages long, I nearly died. My eyes left like they were popping out of their sockets. OTL.

You can CLEARLY tell that Zero's got a soft spot for Arashi, yeah? xD

I apologize for any spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and OOCness! ( Which can ACTUALLY occur now because there are actual canon characters! OTL -SLAPPED- )

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**luvJesusInHeavn, Yamai-chan, Yuna, Astin, Demonic Angel 7, x3sYellowie, Shadow of a Broken Angel, Jade Starlight, TheBrokenReflection, Anemos, Noname, bluenanimefreak, and Cc**

Thank you guys so much for sending in such amazing and encouraging reviews! You have no idea how much it means to me. (:

Also, thanks a lot to everyone who alerted and favourited!

As usual... RESPONSES!

To **luvJesusInHeavn**;

I try my best to answer everyone! But I know that if I add everyone in, it'd take way too long. LOL.  
>Really? I'm glad that you think so! ;O I tend to write a lot... maybe it's because I feel like I need to make it as story-like as possibly. xD You have absolutely no idea how grateful I am to <em>have<em> your support. xP  
>Oh trust me. The upcoming chapters will just slap your face with Zero and Ivy moments. HAHA. Look forward to them! (:<br>Good thing that I included more Arashi in this chapter, eh? (: I love him to bits. Since he's a child, he's just so innocent. HAHA. Yeah, I have trouble expressing younger children's thoughts and everything, but in July, part of why I was so busy was because I was working with children around the same age as Arashi. LOL. I think I've gotten a better idea of how well they understand things and all.  
>;OO Really? That's how you regard Ivy? I'm... REALLY flattered that I've made such a character. Is that... bad of me? LOL. -SLAPPED- If you don't mind me asking, what about her makes her the embodiment of what you want to be like?<br>SNEOBNWEOBNWOEB. "IF THAT'S OKAY"? You're kidding me, right? PFFT. Of course it's okay! If you need specific descriptions of the characters ( Because some of the characters are pretty complicated ), then PM me and I'll be more than glad to provide you with them! (: The only thing I'd like is for you to allow me to see the finished product. HAHA.  
>Thank you so much for your continuous supporrrrrrrrrrrt! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, sweetheart! (:<p>

To **Yamai-chan**;

Yooooooooo! xD  
>I'm glad that you loved the previous chapter; I hope that you love this one just as much, if not more, than the previous. I mean, pfft, there's even more IvyxZero moments in this chapter. XD<br>You love the way she... talks? LOL. What about it do you like so much? O.O Isn't it just regular talking? XD  
>Thank god nobody was OOC. HAHA. Thank you so much for your reassurance! I'm going to hold your word to it. (:<br>You discovered what happened to Al in this chapter. I wonder if you saw it coming? xD  
>LOL. WHOA THERE. <em>Somebody<em> is possessive of him. (; Don't worry, I feel like I can understand why. Zero's just so... SNEBOWENBPWEP.  
>I try my best to cut down on my walls of text, but c'mon. That picture was amazing. I needed to gush over it. LOL.<br>Long reviews are amazing! I love them a lot, so don't worry! Keep sending them in. HAHA.  
>The idea of requests has never left my mind, but I don't think I have the time to seriously think about doing one at the moment. I barely have enough time to actually write without suffering the consequences. OTL. Sorry!<br>Ahhh, the Silent Room. All shall be revealed later on as the story progresses! -beams- So I hope you stay tuned for it!  
>Thanks a lot for your review! I hope that you loved this chapter, Yamai-chan! (:<p>

To **Yuna**;

HAHA. It's not like Ivy's totally incompetent at it; it's just that she isn't amazing at it, either. And she doesn't frequently make desserts in which fruits need to actually look _nice_. You know what I mean? Like, a lot of the time, the fruit is on the inside so she doesn't need to have it look all pretty. xP  
>Nono, it's fine! I <em>did<em> take the time to read your descriptions! They sound really familiar; I think I've heard of them before but never actually read them. I _would_ read them and all, but aside from the fact that I have _no_ idea where to get light novels, I also don't have the time to. OTL. BUT, you really have no idea how much I appreciate the fact that you took all the time to write it out for me! I'm really grateful, so thank you! Which story did you like the best out of all of them? (:  
>Thank you so much for sharing, and for reviewing! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia! ;D<p>

To **Astin**;

ASDFGHJKL. THANK YOU! I couldn't have done it without your support! HAHA. LMAO, DUDE, YOU KNOW I REALIZED THAT? I was grinning in amusement when I first noticed, but I just outright laughed when you admitted it. Your honesty is so endearing. -grins- And I KNOW, ISN'T IT?! I adore her and her work. She's amazing.  
>Pfft, no, it's fine! HAHA. I just got kinda confused. I was wondering if I made up an OC that I had completely forgotten about!<br>WHY THANK YOU! I'm being an arrogant ASNEBOEWB, but I think that Ivy and Zero are adorable together. Yes, I deserve to get slapped. HAHA. There are a lot of Ivy and Zero interactions in this chapter as well, so I hope you enjoyed them just as much!  
>Your compliments are inflating my ego to the point where I'd just get even more conceited than I already am... LOL. But thank you! (: SNBOWNEPWB. You have absolutely <em>no<em> idea how glad I am to hear that you'll be sticking with me to the end of the story! I appreciate it a ton, and I'm so happy to hear it! You're an amazing person. -beams-  
>Oh no. I think that Arashi's innocence will stay with him his entire life. I died while writing him for this chapter. I just... I died. Seriously.<br>LOOOOOOL. I CAN IMAGINE THAT BETWEEN THEM. I don't know, but Zero has a soft spot for Arashi. So, you know. -beams-  
>I'll try updating more, I swear! HAHA. Questions are a good thing; they make you wonder and think about this story a lot. It makes me feel good about myself to know that your thoughts sometimes wander to my work. -grins-<br>WAIT, WAIT. WHAT'S A PIMP POST? LOL. I better get the link or something to that, whatever it is. ( WHAT IS IT ? O.O )  
>By the way, I hope you're feeling better! I had my wisdom teeth pulled before and it hurt like a b-tch. FEEL BETTER SOON!<br>Thank you so much for your continuous support, Astin! I hope that you loved this chapter just as much as the last! (:

To **TheBrokenReflection**;

... You changed your name, didn't you? LOL. I NOTICED.  
>Pfft, of course I remember. People who tend to be amazing, super awesome people are hard to forget, y'know? (;<br>Argh, I need to update that. I will... soon. I think. I hope. I mean, what? OTL. -SLAPPED-  
>ASDFGHJKL. Thank you so much ;_; Your compliments are so touching. I don't think I would've gotten anywhere if it hadn't been for the awesomesauce people who support me, you know? Like yourself. HAHA. So thank you for that as well!<br>Oh god. Trust me, my vocabulary is _so_ ridiculously limited... OTL. Thank you for thinking so! DUDE. If there was an anime that actually followed this story, you have no idea how phuckin' happy I'd be. I think I would literally cry rivers because I'm so happy that he's not gonna end up with Yuuki. -SLAPPED- MY BIAS VIEWS AGAINST HER ARE SHOWING. T-T  
>Thank you! I never would've expected that compliment; it's a first. XD<br>Oh yes... They are very different from each other, I'd say. But they _do_ share quite a bit of similarities as well. But my favourite is conspicuous. I feel like I should try and conceal it better.  
>I finally updated, so I hope that you liked this chapter! Thank you so much for your inspiring support! ;D<p>

To **Anemos**;

You have absolutely no idea how happy I am whenever I see your name in my inbox. HAHA.  
>Don't worry about it; I love love love long reviews, but short reviews work just fine for me as well! It really just depends on the person who's writing it. xD<br>I think that they're relationship is very complicated. x.X Or Ivy's just very complex in general, but maybe that's because I know everything about her. HAHA. I try to keep the ball rolling in people's heads, so even when I explain something, I try to add something else to make people wonder. I'm assuming it worked, eh? (:  
>I love how you included a guess and prediction in your answer! It made me smile to read what you wrote. The Silent Room is quite a big deal, so I hope you look forward to finding out what had transpired! And ah! Ivy's the only one out of the Tashiro siblings who got turned into a vampire. XD The rest of her siblings are just regular vampire hunters; Al, Cheryl, Junko, and Nao aren't <em>actually<em> related to her, but she _does_ consider them her family. =P I just felt the need to clarify in case I didn't explain it clearly. I think I have too many OCs and it gets confusing, but I love 'em all, SOOO... -looks away in guilt-  
>I'm glad that you picked up on Ivy's feelings! ;O It's significant. Very important later on, so I hope you keep it in mind! (:<br>Aw, thank you! I actually spend quite a lot of time thinking about the titles... HAHA. I wonder how many people read them and actually wonder why the title is named like that. I think I'll provide reasons for them later on in the story, but who knows? (:  
>Whoa. You read all my other stories, too? LOL. I'M SURPRISED. ASDFGHJKL. THANK YOU! Do you mind if I ask you why in particular she's your favourite? (:<br>And dear lord, _yes_. I'm so happy that people are able to put their names at the top again. xD  
>Thank you so much for your encouragement and faithful support, Anemos! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter just as much, if not more, than the previous one! ;D<p>

To **blueanimefreak**;

YES, FINALLYY, RIGHT?! Trust me, I was dying a bit on the inside, too. I'm so happy they're finally getting interactions with one another.  
>Ahmygod. You have no idea how much I want to introduce Trance to you guys. I love him to bits. SENBOEWNBOB. I hope you stick around and look forward to his entrance in later chapters! (:<br>YOU ADMIRE ME? Dude, I don't even- THANK YOU. I'm so touched right now, I don't even... WENBOWNBOWEB. I'm very flattered and immensely delighted. Thank you so much. (:  
>IT'S BEAUTIFUL, ISN'T IT?! I love Kuro's work. She's brilliant, she really is. I'm glad that you agree with me as well! (: I had it opened up in my tabs for, like, <em>weeks<em>. Clearly says how much I love it. xD  
>Thank you so much for your support, blueanimefreak! It makes me happy. I hope that you liked this latest chapter! (:<p>

END OF MY LONG RESPONSES. -wipes brow-

Dear lord. Is it just me or are they getting longer...?

BUT ANYWAYS.

Yup, guys, that concludes the twelfth chapter! I hope that y'all liked it.

Thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts last time! This time, the question is kind of like two questions rolled into one. LOL. And it's going to be...

**QUESTION: Did any of you suspect the "disease" that Ivy had was because of this, and did you expect that Al's bleeding eyes was somehow related to Ivy's "attacks"?**

And... that's basically it. HAHA.

You guys have no idea how much fun I had writing this chapter, though. For reals. It was a blast.

Like it? Love it? Hate it? Please tell me your thoughts with a review or a PM!

As always, thank you guys, and I hope I'll be able to update soon! (:

Until then~

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	13. Sinking Paper

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight. It belongs solely to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N:**

DID I JUST UPDATE BEFORE A MONTH... AGAIN? Am I awesome or am I awesome? LOL, okay, no. This just shows that I don't have a life. -sighs-

But anyways.

School's going to start up for me soon, so I'm going to try, try, _tryyyyy _to update before then. No promises, like always, but I'll do the best I can! For those of you who have already started school, HOW'S IT GOING FOR YOU? I'm kinda excited, but also kinda not. I know that when I actually get into the routine of it, I'll be so tired of everything. OTL. But maybe that's just me? HAHA.

Well, I hope that you guys enjoy this chapterrrrrr! (:

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><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN;**

_"Sinking Paper"_

* * *

><p>Almost soundlessly, I strode quickly down the hallways, making sure that nobody was within the area. Somehow, we had managed to get everyone who was currently residing in the town into the Association Headquarters. To say that they all came <em>willingly<em>, however, was a completely different matter. Nonetheless, regardless of whether we used force or not to get all the citizens into the building, they were here.

And that was all that mattered.

"Ivy!" Cheryl hollered my name, her tinkling soprano voice echoing through the spacious, vacant corridors.

Slowing my footsteps and then eventually coming to a halt, I pivoted on my heels to face the princess-like vampire. She was dressed in casual clothing just like I was, though hers was designer brand and very, very expensive. Her clothes always looked astonishing on her, but I knew that Cheryl would look heart-stopping even in rags.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's _wrong_," she retorted, catching up to where I stood in just a handful of seconds. Standing in front of me, she lifted an eyebrow and asked, "What, I can't talk to you just for the sake of it?"

I gave her a look. "You know that's not what I meant at all."

She waved one of her beautifully manicured hands at me. Folding her arms across her chest as we continued walking down the hallway, she inquired, "Are you nervous?"

"For tonight?"

"No," she replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I was talking about the magical ball that's going to be thrown tomorrow evening."

Elbowing her in an admonishing gesture, I thought her question over for a moment. _Was_ I anxious about what would happen tonight? Just the thought of it made my heart flutter a little faster, my palms get a little damper with cold sweat. However, I really wasn't sure what caused those reactions. Was it _anxiety_, or was it something else entirely?

"Sort of," I sighed. "Even though I know that Headquarters' wards are immensely strong, there's still a part of me that's worried about them tearing it down and breaking in. If that happens, then it'll be so easy for them to get to the townspeople. It'd be my entire fault."

Cheryl snorted. "_That's _what you're concerned about?"

My eyes darted over to the taller woman next to me. Giving her a confused and expectant look, I said, "Well, yes. What are _you _worried about?"

"Nothing," Cheryl replied with a shrug of her shoulders. At my disbelieving look, her cerulean eyes shifted up again and she stated, "I mean it. _Nothing. _I don't see how anything can go wrong. I'm not worried about anything because there's just nothing to _be _worried about. We'll be fine. The wards will be fine. The humans will be fine."

"You say it like you've already seen the outcome of the future," I told her as we rounded a corner. Quietly, I asked, "How can you have so much confidence in this? In us?" I could never really understand where Cheryl's self-assurance came from. It wasn't as if she was putting on a facade and pretending to be confident, either. Cheryl was just one of those people that didn't bathe in insecurity and hesitance. She spoke her mind without worrying about what others thought, and she could be _herself_. One of the things that amazed me most about her was the fact that she actually _loved _herself, flaws and all.

And although I couldn't understand how someone like her could exist, I still admired her to the extent that I could confidently call her one of my role models.

Her hand shot out to grab my wrist, forcing us both to a stop right in front one of the large windows after we had randomly entered a room. We were on one of the highest floors of the Association, and we had an amazing view over the town—except that the entire place was completely dark and lifeless, considering the entire population was a few floors below us.

She looked at me with sombre and grave eyes, her full, cherry-painted lips pulled downwards into a deep frown. The air of severity that surrounded her was almost frightening as she stared hard at me. "Ivy."

Guilt instantly washed over me, and I avoided her gaze. "Sorry."

Her grip tightened on my wrist to the point where, even though I was a vampire, it was painful. Her eyes could have shot out lasers as they burned into my face. "That's not what I want to hear."

Cheryl and I had this conversation a few times before in the past—not nearly as many times as Lydia and I had sat down and spoke about it—and I knew perfectly well what she wanted to hear from me. It wasn't a hard thing to say, as I always meant it. The problem was that I could never actually follow through with it, no matter how hard I tried to. Whenever I felt like I'd reach the end, I'd just bounce right back to where I started; always questioning others.

Always, _always _doubting myself.

"I'll try harder to get over it," I told her, though I knew that the chances of me actually getting over it were slim to none. I was stuck. Immobile, unable to get past the obstacle that was in front of me. I climbed, I jumped, I tried knocking it down, but I could never seem to move from where I stood.

Cheryl's sapphire eyes conveyed so many emotions to me, I almost felt like I was being drowned in them. Loosening her grasp on me, she let her arm fall back to her side as she turned her head away to stare out the window. "That's what you always say. You better do it this time."

"No guarantees," I warned her lightly. Making my way over to one of the large, comfy armchairs that were situated in the room, I sat myself down on it and pulled my legs up to my chest. Curiously, I asked her, "Why did you come up here?"

"Took a bath," she answered, holding up a few tresses of her damp blond hair. Sitting down regally on the couch across from where I sat, she asked, "And you?"

I made a noncommittal sound, my eyes sweeping over the exquisite, but hardly used space. There were many rooms like this in the Association—we had a lot more room than we actually needed on a daily basis, but there were the occasional times when we needed all the space we had and even more. From what I knew, this room was one of the study rooms that weren't used very often. Despite the absence of a user, it was still kept clean and dust-free.

"I don't know," I admitted. "Maybe it's because the view of the town is so clear from here—I can see exactly what's happening right when it happens."

"We'd be able to sense them coming a mile away," Cheryl commented, her eyes not even flickering to the window, which showed the vast expanse of onyx sky. The moon hung overhead, glowing marvelously like a sideways grin that illuminated the darkness so that it seemed more bearable. The lights of stars thousands upon millions of miles away were dashed along the obsidian blanket, blinking brightly despite the resistance of the background. To me, when so few stars were seen in the sky, it looked as if the night was trying to swallow up all the light. It seemed like a pitiful and futile fight, yet they still shimmered somehow. Despite being so enclosed in such heavy darkness, they refused to fade into obscurity.

Somehow, it made me want to cry.

Forcing myself out of my reverie, I shook my head as I remarked softly, "They _are _coming." I was already beginning to feel the prickling sensation I always got when vampires with malicious intentions were nearing me. It was especially noticeable due to the large size that they were coming in. Something in my stomach knotted, butterflies fluttering inside me and making me feel queasy.

I ran a hand through my hair, trying not to fidget with my fingers. "Where is everyone?"

Cheryl was also aware of the approaching mass of vampires, but she didn't seem the least bit fazed. Leaning her straight back against the seat, she informed me flippantly, "Kaito's with the citizens, Mana's taking care of Arashi, and Zero-kun is..." she paused, pondering it for a moment. "Actually, I don't know what he's doing, but I saw him just a few minutes before I came up here. He was walking towards the dormitory section."

"The dormitory?" I repeated. The map of the Association that I had imprinted into my mind showed me that where Cheryl and I currently were was directly above where he should be by five floors. He was probably tired after all the events that had occurred today, though I didn't blame him for it. Glancing at Cheryl, I addressed the one person she hadn't mentioned. "And Al?"

She didn't say anything for a long moment. Her facial expression contorted into a dark scowl, a frown marring her sharp beauty. Her body tensed at the mention of the brunette hunter, the air around us getting heavier with every second that ticked by. Everything about her made me uneasy. The way she looked so serious, the way she seemed so unhappy, the way she seemed like she was so rigid in order to _protect herself_—all of these aspects made dread crawl slowly up my spine.

I wasn't sure I wanted to know, but I found myself prompting her for an answer anyways. "Cheryl...?"

She opened her mouth once, but nothing came out. Shutting it closed, her lips pressed into a taut line and she folded her arms across her chest once more. When she opened it again, she said in a glacial tone, "Al's _there_."

For just a second, I felt like my heart had stopped. Nearly choking on my own saliva, I demanded, "_Why_?"

"Because _she's _there, of course," Cheryl replied flatly. It was so unusual of the blond to show an apathetic attitude, but I knew that her nonchalance was just a facade to hide all her real feelings, if she could even figure out what those were.

My eyes fell from her figure down to rest on the carpeted floor. Many emotions washed over me, but I felt like the most dominant one would be sadness or fear. These two emotions were like tidal waves that crashed down onto me, reminding me of so many things that I didn't want to be reminded about. I remembered memories that I didn't ever want to recollect, almost as if my body was telling me that I wouldn't be _allowed _to ever forget.

I couldn't imagine how Al was feeling. It seemed so strange of him to purposely bring himself over to that place, but at the same time, it seemed exactly like something that he'd do. I wanted to go and find him, to speak with him, but I knew that I couldn't do it at the moment.

Getting up off the chair I had been sitting in, I padded over to the window and peered outside. Although the majority of the vampires had yet to arrive, small clusters of the more eager and hasty ones had already reached the building and were clawing uselessly at the barrier. From the looks of it, they were all Level Es with the occasional Level D; the much more difficult ones would be coming altogether in just a few short moments.

I opened up the window, preparing to jump out when, abruptly, Cheryl pulled me halfway back into the building. Shooting her a bewildered look, I asked, "What is it?"

"_I'll_ go," she said, trying to push me aside. I didn't budge from my spot. "Ivy, _move_! You're more injured than I am!"

"Cheryl, save your strength for when the larger army comes. Rixelvelt is more suited for dealing with individuals or small groups rather than large crowds. That's what Charlemon is good at." Cheryl's weapon, Charlemon, was one that had a much wider area of effect than Rixelvelt. It would be stupid if she went out to deal with a situation that I was more appropriate for.

She frowned at me. "It doesn't matter!"

"Yes it does," I objected, shaking my head. "It's better this way. Besides, did you even remember to put Charlemon back on you after your shower?"

Upon hearing my words, Cheryl instantly checked her wrist, looking for a bracelet that was similar to mine in terms of use. Not seeing it there, she let out a grunt of frustration. "Damn it!"

"You always forget to put your jewelry back on after a shower or bath," I told her with a lighthearted roll of my eyes. Smiling, I insisted, "I'll be fine. Get Al and tell everyone else about the incoming army, though I'm sure they're already aware of it."

"Ivy—"

"Come back me up as soon as possible?" I offered, my teeth flashing. Seeing the look on my face, Cheryl's more concerned look seemed to melt away. She knew that I wasn't going to shoulder everything alone, and that relieved her.

Nodding her head slowly, with eyes more determined than before, she agreed. "We'll be down there so fast you probably wouldn't have even gotten a chance to decapitate one yet."

I laughed. "I'm counting on you!" I gave her one last smile before I swung both my legs out the window, and after breaking Rixelvelt from her restrictive spell, I pushed myself off the ledge I had been sitting on. The wind rushed by me as I descended, dropping down quickly. I felt my clothes flapping around and my hair got into my eyes slightly, but I could see everything crystal clear.

As I neared the gathering clique of hungry vampires who seemed to be aware of my approach—they all looked up at me expectantly—my grip on Rixelvelt tightened. Rather than landing on the floor like I was sure they expected, I purposely slammed into an unsuspecting vampire's head, quickly breaking his neck. After using the momentum from my original fall to perform that move, I was able to land more softly onto the pavement.

Observing the bloodthirsty vampires around me, I let my senses heighten so that I was much more aware of what was going on. I shifted slightly, the sound of my shoes scraping lightly against the cement breaking the silence. It was also what caused the vampires to begin their attack.

For the next few moments, the only things that could be heard were the sounds made in battle. There were clings and clangs and screeches as well as the sound of shoes skidding along the pavement. As Rixelvelt's long shaft slammed particularly hard with a level E's durable claws, the reverberating sensation tingled up my arm and through one side of my body, sending an unpleasant feeling to my back. Forcing our weapons to fly to one side in order to stop our stilled battle, I swung as fast as I could at her neck, decapitating her barely fast enough to duck to avoid a vampire that was about to tackle me.

Upon seeing two vampires approaching me from the front, I took a step back to give myself some room. Feeling a sudden, mild, and strange change in elevation, my eyes darted down to see what I was standing on, only to realize that I had stepped onto a large pile of dust. I quickly moved off of it, avoiding one of the Level Ds in the process. However, one of the vampires had been standing still the entire time. The thought of him even being there had been gone from my thoughts, so when my back slammed into him, I swore under my breath.

I prepared myself to feel his arms wrap around me—I would then attempt to throw him onto his back and then pierce his throat with Rixelvelt—but just as his arms came sliding over my shoulders, a gunshot rang throughout the night. Following the thunderous echoing was a purple glow that formed a specialized design unique to each gun. I had been acquainted with the beautiful and intricate signature just a day ago, but it seemed engraved into my mind.

Looking over shoulder as the vampire turned into dust, my eyes caught sight of Zero standing at an opened window, his Bloody Rose out and extended with a thin swirl of steam coming from the barrel.

My eyes locked with his, and I smiled at him gratefully before focusing my mind back to what was solely in front of me. I was no longer worried about anything sneaking up on me or anyone attacking me from behind, because now I knew perfectly well that it was impossible.

He had my back.

* * *

><p>"Thank you, Cheryl," I murmured to her as she finished helping me re-wrap the bandages for the wounds on my back that had reopened once more. The claw marks that had been inflicted upon me a few days ago didn't have time to completely heal before they were torn open again one way or another. It got to the point where I wondered if I should even bother with patching them up, because I knew that they'd just split open once more in a mere few hours.<p>

I slid off of the infirmary bed, fixing my clothing and pulling my longer strands of wavy hair out from under my shirt. When I turned to address her, I saw Cheryl gazing at the white, stretchy bandages that stretched all along her arms, disgust written bleakly across her features. My eyes settled on the brace she wore on one of her legs, a feeling of sorrow washing through me once more. The yellow and green orbs lingered on the blonde's injuries for just another moment before darting away.

Moving toward the door, I opened it up and looked at her over my shoulder. "We should get going, Cheryl. We need to discuss our strategy again."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she muttered, irritation lining her melodic voice. She got up from the bed gracefully, and sauntered, just as elegantly and regally as she always did, past me and into the hallway. Despite the terrible situation we were in, I could still find myself smiling at her straight back—rather than being upset about our condition and wailing in pain due to her injuries, Cheryl seemed more aggravated and angry at how the brace got in the way of her clothes and how the bandages didn't match her outfits.

I followed after her, our footsteps ghosting over the waxed marble floor. No words were exchanged between the two of us, but we were both fine with it. No matter how hard we tried to conceal it, the exhaustion would seep through our disguises and resurface on our faces. At this point, we didn't even bother to try to hide it.

Entering the usual meeting room, I took notice of how Al was already seated, Beckleta in his hands. He was cleaning her with a cloth that was stained red from all the blood he was getting off the metal. Al's anti-vampire weapon was an odd one in many ways—she would only respond favourably and cooperatively with Al if he called her "Dearest," yet she seemed to absolutely loathe it when others called her using that endearment.

With a prominent, curved blade made of shining gold lined with silver, Beckleta was a weapon that many didn't use anymore—a sickle sword. The hilt, which was wrapped in black cloth, was more elongated than usual and had a small ridge that went around it to separate the hilt into two uneven sections. The smaller section was for Al's hand to fit and hold onto, while the larger portion of the hilt was to provide space for the chain to wrap itself around. Moderately thick and tremendously long, the golden links of Beckleta would be graced with a single silver one every ten gold. While one end of the chain was attached to the sharp, star-shaped pommel at the end of the hilt, the other end was attached to a mini sickle with a wickedly rounded blade. She was a deadly weapon that, unlike most weapons that had either a fixed range or ranges that were very similar, could cover all ranges whether it be close, middle, or long.

Al looked up at us when we entered and smiled, though his eye twitched slightly at the pain that was caused by the action. A thick gauze had been attached onto one side of his face, indicating that the scratches he had gotten along his cheek were much worse than the ones that I had on mine.

"_Someone _looks like they're in a bad mood," he commented pointedly at Cheryl.

"Shut up," Cheryl swiftly retorted, crossing the room in a second to snatch Charlemon off of the wall that he had been leaning against. He, too, was extremely stained and dirtied from the fight that we had just finished, and Cheryl flopped down onto the couch with him lying across her lap. Al tossed her a clean cloth, and she snatched it out of the air with precision.

Nobody would have really guessed Cheryl to have an anti-vampire weapon like Charlemon. It was definitely surprising, since it didn't suit her princess-like image at all. Comparative to Rixelvelt's enormous size, Charlemon was a ridiculously gigantic square metal mallet. The long, somewhat thick handle of Charlemon was originally made out of a dark mahogany wood, but a thin silver cover had been slipped along the length of it. Interesting and magnificent designs had been carved into the shining silver metal. One side of the mallet had equally large spikes protruding from it, the points so fine yet so deadly. Although the other side of the gavel was flat, it had myriads of words imprinted into the very metal itself. The words from the ancient language of hunters had placed numerous spells that would work to Charlemon's advantage. One of the spells allowed Charlemon to weigh absolutely nothing to its true wielder, while still maintaining his immense weight and force when coming into contact with others. Another spell allowed Charlemon's to unfold its head to create a nearly impenetrable barrier, though it looked more like a huge umbrella more than anything else. Even so, it had saved my life more than once.

"Are you guys okay?" Mana's soft voice asked, concern crashing in it as I took a seat next to Al, who had made room on the couch for me. Her periwinkle eyes were clouded with a bundle of emotions as her eyes swept over us. She didn't allow us to answer as she murmured in a self-despising tone, "We never should have let you guys go out alone."

I shook my head at her, offering a grin of what I hoped showed comfort. "Mana, if you guys had followed us out there, it would be worse. We'd _all _be in awful shape. At least like this, you, Kaito, and Zero are fine."

"And what about you guys?" Mana demanded from me heatedly, her eyes blazing with an intense fire as she stared straight into my eyes. Her lips were thinned and her voice flamed with passion. "You can't _do _that! How can you guys just smile at us and pretend like everything's okay when you guys are in such horrible states?!"

Al tried to calm her, but it only seemed to add fuel to the fire. "It's not _that _bad—"

"'Not that bad'?" Mana repeated incredulously, whipping her head to look at him. "'_Not that bad'_?! Al, have you _looked_ at yourself in the mirror lately? You can't play it off like it doesn't hurt—you _dislocated _your left shoulder! You guys are all torn and all beat up. I can hardly even see any part of you guys that isn't covered up with bandages or gauzes or braces or some sort of medical support to help you with your wounds!"

"We know we look horrible," Cheryl snapped in irritation, rubbing at one of Charlemon's spikes a little bit more forcefully than she needed to. Her bright sapphire eyes were somehow glacial cold and sizzling hot at the same time as she looked at Mana. "But it's been three days. We've been out there for _three days_; you can't expect us to look amazing no matter how skilled we are. We went out there knowing that we were going to end up battered. What do you think you could have done?" Just as Mana opened her mouth, Cheryl interrupted fiercely, "_Nothing_. You could have done _nothing _to stop us."

My eyes fell from her rigidly seated figure and onto my own intertwined fingers.

Three days.

It was the third night of the rebellion breakout. The third time Al, Cheryl, and I had ventured out into the vast number of vampires in an attempt to stop them. It was the third time that we got slammed through walls and swiped at by claws, but also the third time that we had triumphed over their numbers.

We were so tired. Exhausted. Drained. Weary. Every part of us ached and throbbed in pain or was sore. Even though we were skilled, we couldn't help but sustain injuries as well. The fights had gone on for hours upon hours at a time—it seemed like there were an infinite amount of them, because no matter how many of them we struck down, their numbers never seemed to decline. It seemed so endless, so pointless. After a while, we naturally got tired, our battle etiquette dropping down a notch or two, and then down a bit further the next night. We weren't even close to being how we were like when we first began the fight, and I was sure that the enemy knew it, too.

"Cheryl," chastised Al in a murmur, his exotic tangerine eyes sliding over to the side in order to catch a glimpse of the blond princess.

"_What_, Al?" Cheryl shot at him, the exasperation, frustration, and anger spilling into her voice. It was evident to everyone in the room that the exhaustion and pressure was getting to Cheryl and affecting her, though she didn't know it herself. Yes, she was quite snappy and up for a fight most of the time, but she never did it with such harshness unless she was worn out and feeling strained.

Al spoke in a calm, but slightly flat and chilly voice. "Mana's just worried about us. We know you're tired and, I don't know—maybe you're getting your monthly visit from Aunt Flow—but don't take your aggravation out on everyone. We're _all_ in the same boat. We're all _just _as frustrated and irritated about this as you are."

Sensing an argument that was _bound _to happen, I quickly jumped in between their conversation as I addressed Mana. "Thank you for your concern, Mana, but..." I trailed off and lifted one of my shoulders in a small shrug. "I can't think of anything else we can do that would be better than this."

"That's why we're here having this discussion," Kaito retorted. When we looked at him, the tawny-haired hunter ran a hand through his slightly waved hair and admitted, "I agree with Mana. We can't let you guys keep going out there."

"Kaito—"

"You're not invincible, Ivy," Kaito cut me off, staring hard at me with intense hazel orbs that silenced me instantly. "You guys are stronger than others, faster, more skilled, whatever you guys want to consider yourselves. But none of that changes the fact that you guys can still get hurt, harmed, _killed_—you guys are _not _invincible."

"I know, but—" My sentence was stopped halfway as Al suddenly placed his outstretched hand in front of my face, covering the twenty-two year old hunter from my view. Whatever I was going to say was halted upon seeing the "stop" signal he gave me, and I looked up at Al in bewilderment. He didn't meet my eyes, though, as his eyes remained fixated ahead.

Staring steadily at the older hunter, Al stated, "We aren't. However, we _are_ more durable than you guys. If you're not letting us out there, then _we_ refuse to let _you_ out there. And don't go talking to us about how we should _all _go out there, because we all know that's a stupid idea unless we've got another plan to back it up."

Al's words hung in the silent, thick air around us as none of us moved. We all stared defiantly at one another, trying to get the other party to back down. Or were we just letting his words sink in, and then attempting to think of solutions? I wasn't sure, but from the look on Mana's face, she didn't look very pleased with what Al had said.

Unexpectedly, it was Zero who broke the stillness that had settled between all of us. "Fine. We just need to revise our plan." He sat on one of the large, dark red armchairs that were situated around the glass coffee table, leaning forward so that his elbows were resting on his knees. He flicked a glance at Al. "Any ideas?"

Once more, hush reigned.

Sweeping my eyes across the room, everyone had a concentrated, contemplative countenance, but I felt like the only reason things were this difficult was because we were trying to minimize the amount of damage done as much as we possibly could. I felt like we were being very cautious, and that was something that I wasn't used to. EX5 was a group that did risky things that other people wouldn't have even _thought _about doing. We took those chances and did exceedingly dangerous missions simply because we knew that if we didn't mess up, we could do it.

In some ways, it was exciting.

Yes, I couldn't deny that I played safe when it came to the protection of others. However, that was because I knew that I was literally stronger than them. My body itself was just _built_ to be able to endure harsher conditions and situations. I couldn't possibly even _think _of asking anyone outside of EX5 to do half the things that we, as a clique, did together. So many people considered us crazy and out of our minds. Maybe we were, but at the same time, we knew when things were simply out of our reach.

And it was because of this that an idea began to form in my mind.

"Somebody, just throw something out there." Kaito broke my train of thought. In what seemed like both impatience and frustration, Kaito ran his hand through his hair again, mussing it up more. "It doesn't matter what. Maybe someone will have a bright idea from your crappy one."

One heartbeat, two heartbeats, three heartbeats.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Al beat me to it. He spoke the one exact word I had been about to say, and it was a word that seemed to have frozen time in the room once more.

"Bait."

"What... do you mean by that...?" Mana asked slowly, reluctantly. The way her voice sounded and how she looked as she questioned him gave off the impression that she was wary. Her eyes assessed him in a cautious, careful way, as if she was an artist studying her own artwork.

Al, Cheryl, and I exchanged confirming glances that told us we were all on the same page. After all, there was really only one meaning to that single word. When neither Cheryl nor I showed any signs of objecting to what he was suggesting, Al turned back to the trio and piped, "Exactly what I said—we'll be bait."

Mana's eyes immediately narrowed. "Al-kun—"

"Let me finish." He grinned impishly at her. Looking around the room, Al wiped Beckleta's main blade once more before searching for the third silver link and, upon finding it, tugging at it. With a soft gold glow, Beckleta returned to her restricted form, which Al kept hanging on a key ring that held his house and car keys. "The last two times we were fighting, there were many Level Ds and about an equal number of Cs and Es, and their army each time would seem just as big as the last time, if not bigger. But did any of you guys notice that their numbers are drastically dropping now? Their groups are much, _much_ smaller now than they had been, and rather than Level Ds being the most prominent level, it's the Level Es."

Slowly, I nodded my head once I thought about it carefully. Since I had been so preoccupied with trying to survive out there and cut down as many vampires as I could, it had been hard for me to notice. After all, I didn't really care how many were left—if there were some still alive, then there were some still alive. To me, it didn't matter what their numbers were, because I knew that even if they outnumbered us a hundred to three, we'd still have to win the brawl somehow.

Around the room, everyone mirrored my action except for Zero, who remained just as immobile as he always was.

"What of it?" Kaito subtly urged Al to continue speaking.

"Level Es are physically strong, but they have weak willpower. They're uncontrollable, and because of their bloodlust, they can't think properly. They're slow to realize what kind of situation they're in until it's too late—they're easy to trick and manipulate. We just need to play that to our favour. And the thing that works best with making Level Es go insanely stupid?" Al's lips pulled up into a smug smirk as he uttered the next word. "Blood."

Taking over the explanation, as Cheryl's thoughts were in sync with Al's as well as mine, she finished cleaning off Charlemon and returned him to his smaller form before saying, "We'll set up traps for them before they come, and when they do, rather than fighting it out like animals, we'll lead them to the traps using our blood. Since we're the ones who set the traps up, we'll know how to avoid it, but they won't. They'll follow us blindly, not thinking about anything else besides the smell of our blood."

Automatically, my mind conjured up all the different traps and the different ancient circles that would be needed. A lot of offensive spell-laced traps that hunters used caused a lot of damage to the surrounding area, and therefore it can't be used in tight areas like around the Association. Not only that, but while Headquarters had wards protecting itself from vampires, that didn't necessarily grant immunization to any of the old spells. It would be difficult to find a place that would actually work with the traps, but I was sure that it was possible.

"The reason why we want to create a new plan is because the one we have right now to highly _dangerous_," Mana stressed, giving us an upset look. "What part of this new scheme that you guys have come up with _doesn't _sound just as, if not more, threatening to your lives than the one we have now?"

Cheryl scoffed, rolling her eyes. Folding her arms across her chest, she leaned back against the chair she was sitting on and ridiculed, "You play it too safe, Mana. You need to learn to live it up. Danger can be fun. It's what we're known for."

Her expression taught, the onyx-haired sixteen-year-old hunter objected, "Maybe that's so, but that doesn't mean you guys need to put your lives on the line _all the time _like that. You guys have limits—"

"_Our_ limits," I intruded into the conversation, causing her eyes to snap to meet mine. I smiled at her. "It's precisely because we know our limits well that we're proposing this idea. We're kind of insane, but we wouldn't do a suicide mission. We know our limits better than anyone else, because they're part of _us_. Please trust us when we say we can do this."

Adding to what I said, Al contributed, "And compared to spending hours fighting, not only will this method be much quicker, it'll also cause fewer casualties. We won't be engaging in combat unless absolutely necessary and the chances that the Level Es will be able to catch up to us are slim."

"Not only that, but they won't be expecting it." Cheryl's voice was embroidered with sadistic glee. "We'd _destroy _them."

"I don't think—"

"I don't think it's a bad idea," Kaito's murmur ran over-top Mana's. He ignored her look of disbelief and her sound of incredulity, his deep, serious hazel eyes fixated on the three of us. "Are you sure that you guys can handle it?"

The brunette, blond, and I all exchanged brief glances before chorusing simultaneously, "Yeah."

"Then—"

"Kiriyuu-san!" Mana exclaimed, interrupting Kaito loudly. I noticed that we all seemed to be cutting each other off frequently. It was generally a rude thing, but I realized that we were all too close or comfortable with each other to care. Sounding desperate and faintly livid, Mana demanded, "Do you truly agree with this arrangement? I'm sure that you're aware of the enormous risks that this outrageous plan has!"

Zero remained silent for a moment, his light lavender eyes gliding over to lock with the sun-kissed girl's periwinkle ones. In his smooth, quiet baritone, Zero stated, "There are going to be risks no matter what we do. Right now, we need to get rid of those filthy bloodsuckers as fast as possible."

"_That's_ what you're putting as top priority?" Mana asked, disbelief tainting her voice. Her eyes were blazing with intensity as they swept over all of us before resting on Zero again. "I'm strongly against this. I _really_ am! We have _no _idea the true size of the enemy's army, and we don't know if they have any plots up their sleeves, either. You guys are already so badly injured—a plan that has a high percentage of keeping you guys safe is what we should be aiming for!"

Surprisingly, it was Zero who spoke. I had opened my mouth to say something, not wanting Cheryl to go off on another pressuring, antagonistic spiel, but I was proved unnecessary as the future Association President said stoically, "You're forgetting something significant. Vampires are _nothing _like vampire hunters, Omura-san. As a vampire, one's regenerative abilities work up to fifteen times faster than the average hunter's."

"That doesn't mean you can just keep sending them out there!" Mana protested. Her eyes were ignited with a fire that I rarely saw in her gentle orbs. Her voice was tight as she said, "Just because vampires regenerate more quickly than normal, does that mean it's okay for them to keep getting sent out and beat up? Even though it must be excruciatingly painful, simply because we know they can heal a bit faster, then it's okay to _let _them get hurt?"

Dread tickled my spine, my gut twisting around uncomfortably. I had a very bad feeling about where this conversation was headed. Hoping to stop the entire argument before it escalated into something tenser and more hostile, I shook my head at the younger girl. It was a warning. "Mana."

"What? I have a point, don't I?" Mana's lips thinned as she stared hard at Zero, hardly even sparing me a glance. It wasn't like Mana to gaze at someone with such a challenging look in her eyes—someone like Zero, no less. It only made my insides squirm even more, because I knew that while it was difficult to get Mana fired up about something, when she _was_, she got _really _into it.

"Take a good look at them." Zero's eyes slanted over to sweep over us for a short moment before he regarded the sixteen-year-old hunter once more. "They're already half-dead. What we have now isn't working. What our most prominent problem is at the moment is time—if a new plan enables us to get the job done faster, then that's what we need."

"No, what we _need_ is to ensure that they won't get themselves _killed_!" Mana's voice rose up a notch. "You said it yourself, Kiriyuu-san! They look like they're _half-dead._ We can't just continue forcing them out there! We should be doing everything we can in order to _protect _them."

"Hey," Cheryl snapped, "don't talk about us as if we're not here." But her remark was completely ignored. Al glanced at her and gave me an amused look, but I was too tense and worried to return his gesture.

Without even waiting for Zero's response, Mana ploughed on heatedly. "You can't possibly be saying that their lives mean nothing! They aren't weapons for us to just _use_. We need to consider their safety and everything, too! The kind of plan that we should be thinking about right now is how to complete the task of keeping all the civilians safe while minimizing our casualties, _not _producing a plan that involves _letting_ them hurt themselves and put themselves in even more danger. We don't have a clue how violently the Level Es will react if we follow through with the bait idea—they could be much faster, much more aggressive than we could even imagine. What happens then? What if they truly _do _get cornered? There's no way they can make it out of a huge mob like that, especially if they're already in such horrible shape."

My hands clenched together in my lap, my eyes tightening. I could already see where this was heading. In a firmer voice, I cautioned, _"Mana."_

It was like I hadn't spoken. Zero and the periwinkle-orbed hunter didn't give any indication that they had heard me.

With eyes that seemed colder, more reserved, Zero stared steadily at her. "There's no point in trying to minimize casualties now that it's gotten so far."

"That's it?" Mana asked incredulously, her eyes wide as she stared at him. Her face began to flush red with fury, her eyes flaming. Straightening her posture, she stared at him with eyes set in a mild glower. "That's all you have to say to that? I'm sorry to say this, Kiriyuu-san, but that just sounds like an _excuse_."

Upon hearing this, Zero's hard, pale violet eyes narrowed at her faintly. "An excuse?"

"Yes," Mana answered without hesitation. Her gaze was unwavering as she locked eyes with him and said in a calm, but noticeably enraged voice, "'It's too late' sounds nothing more than an excuse. It's like you're running away. You already know, don't you? That we need to protect them. You _know _that we can't let them die, because if they do, then everything would change. But you're scared, right? You think, 'What if I can't protect them? What if I mess up and it's all my fault?' and you end up taking the easy way out of it by trying to convince yourself that it's too late. Because you can't possible truly believe that it's okay if they died. You know it yourself that if they pass away, you'd just blame yourself. Can you handle it, Kiriyuu-san? Seeing them dead? Seeing one of them dying in your arms like—"

"_Mana!" _The sound of breaking glass echoed with the sound of my voice. I stared down at the cracked glass coffee table that I had slammed my hands down onto, my eyes seeing all the fractures yet not really comprehending it. My hair fell as a curtain around me, shielding me from their surprised eyes. I shut my mine, breathing in as I tried to calm myself.

Horror had continuously washed through me the more I listened to Mana speak. I felt like her words were suffocating me. Pain had erupted in my chest. I was so upset when I heard those words—I couldn't even imagine how Zero felt. But as troubled as I was, I was also unspeakably angry. I tried to remind myself that it wasn't really Mana's fault—everyone in the Association was aware of Ichiru's death, but not many people knew the specific details about it. It wasn't her fault that she was unintentionally striking a wound.

But my anger wouldn't simmer down.

It was so infuriating, but I wasn't sure if I was more frustrated with Mana or myself—the fact that she could even say such things about him, or the fact that I hadn't cut the discussion off when I first realized that it wasn't going to end well.

A part of me wanted to laugh humourlessly, and a part of me was so ashamed. It had been such a long time since I had last snapped at someone like that. It wasn't as if Mana deserved it, either. I could have easily just stopped the conversation in a much more civil manner, but I ended up breaking a table and almost raising my voice to a yelling volume. The fact that I had lost my calm composure made me feel absolutely terrible.

Yet the resentment that I felt just _wouldn't go away._

"I-Ivy-chan?" Mana stammered, her voice laced with surprise. The room was so silent, everyone could have been holding their breaths.

"Don't, Mana." Shaking my head, I slowly eased out of the hunched position I had been in, peeling my palms off the fissured piece of furniture. I met Mana's beautiful eyes unwaveringly, my gaze piercing. When I spoke, my voice was quiet. Calm, yet the words were decorated around the edges with frost. "Don't speak about Zero like you know him so well. Don't approach subjects that are so much deeper than you're aware of. Just because he doesn't look angry or doesn't interrupt you, it doesn't mean what you're saying is _okay_. You're not—you don't know, Mana. You don't know just how much your words can hurt someone. How much they _do_ hurt. It brings back so many memories, so many painful recollections that you can't even _begin _to imagine just how much it tears someone apart."

She had no idea how his eyes reflected his breaking heart.

"He has saved my life countless of times," I murmured. "He has everything it takes to protect us, but we just—we don't _need_ this kind of fortification. _Don't_ talk about us dying like that. _Don't_ approach the topic of having someone dying in front of you. Just because we're all aware that it happens, just because we know it's entirely possible, that doesn't mean it doesn't _affect _us. You've never had anyone you know die in front of you like that, Mana." I felt like I was being choked. Something was wrapped around my neck, making me force the words out of my throat. "You don't know how scarring it is, how traumatizing. You don't know... how it changes someone."

And as the last words left my lips, I felt my locked muscles relaxing, my shoulders slumping. All the burning, hot anger that had welled inside me had just evaporated, leaving me with agonizing emotions and sadness. My piercing, antagonizing gaze turned into a softer, more desolate one as I looked at her.

I knew that I hadn't just been speaking about Zero anymore in that last little portion.

Turning my head away, I stared at the floor next to the door. I let out a breath that, if you listened closely, could have sounded like an exhale with its corners lifted up into a second's worth of a humourless chuckle. Completely worn out, I ran a hand roughly through my hair as I shut my eyes tightly.

Somehow, it was all so suffocating.

"Ivy—"

"I need some coffee," I mumbled, cutting Kaito off. Opening my eyes again, I looked at Cheryl over my shoulder. "Do we have any left here?"

The expression that was on the princess' face was far from pleased, but I knew that it wasn't because of my outburst. She had seen them before, and had been completely unfazed by them. Al was the same. I understood perfectly why she was gazing at me with burning sapphire eyes, but I didn't want to deal with that at the moment.

"It's probably all gone," she informed me, maintaining her cool even though her eyes were telling me that she was waiting to explode at me. "You'll probably have to go out to the store and buy some more. And if you do that, you might as well go grocery shopping as well. Our supplies are depleting faster than we thought because of how many people we're holding here."

"Okay," I sighed in small relief. I was glad that I would be able to leave the Association building for a while and just walk around. I felt like I needed to inhale some fresh air to clear my head, and if I could get some coffee as well as complete a task from the to-do list we had, then that was even better than I anticipated.

"Hey, you brat, where do you think you're—"

"Kaito." Al gave a small shake of his head to the tawny-haired hunter, clearly knowing what kind of mood I was in. He read me easily, knowing that if I stayed here, I'd probably end up blowing up again. Turning to look at me, Al asked, "Want me to come along and help?"

Shaking my head at him, I swiveled toward the door. "It's fine. Thanks for the offer."

Sighing, Kaito made a displeased sound and said, "Ivy, do you know where the place we keep the money—"

I waved off his question without looking back at him. "I have money. It's on me."

"Hey, do you know how much that will cost—" he stopped himself short. I could hear him shaking his head, running his hand through his hair again. Muttering it under his breath, Kaito cursed, "Satoshi, you stupid asshole, why am I left taking care of your troublesome sister?"

Hearing that from Kaito made me want to smile, because I knew that the only reason he was able to say something like that about Satoshi and I was because he was simply _that _close with us. Still facing the door, I said, "I'll be back in a few hours. I'm not going to take the car. Tell me all about our new plan when I get back, okay?"

"Thanks for ditching us and forcing us to do all the hard stuff for you, Ivy," Cheryl sarcastically shot at me.

A grin was in Al's voice as he said, "You owe us one."

"If you're not back in a handful of hours, I'm going to find you, murder you, and then feed you to the dogs," Kaito threatened.

Unable to stop myself, a small laugh escaped me. "Yes, yes." I lifted a hand up over my shoulder as a gesture of goodbye and exited the room, feeling his pair of burning eyes fixated intensely on my back.

Walking swiftly yet silently through the corridor, I dragged my hands down my face and breathed in as deeply as I could. Even though it seemed impossible, I felt like I was more emotionally exhausted compared to physically tired. I felt like I was a wooden sculpture that was getting sanded a little bit every single day, slowly wearing down. Yet, at the same time, I felt like I was a stone that couldn't be broken through.

Descending down the stairs, I kept my eyes glued to them and slowed my pace. I was never one of those people who could walk down stairs without looking at them—I'd always end up tripping somehow. I was always so scared that I didn't know where the steps were, or that I'd expect a smaller step than the real one and end up being startled when my foot seemed to plunge down. I had endeavoured walking down stairs without keeping an eye on my fee, and that didn't end the way I had hoped it would. I had managed to accidentally trip and crash into Lydia, who had been carrying a tray of food. Needless to say, everything went flying through the air.

Now that I was no longer in the heat of the moment, I realized that I could have handled that situation so much better. It was so awful of me to have just burst like that, and to _Mana _no less. After all, she was only trying to take care of us properly.

Maybe that was part of why I was so agitated. I hated how people looked down on EX5 like that. I hated how, when people saw us, the first things that came to their minds weren't our competent abilities, our contributions to the Association, or our link to them, but rather how we were burdens, outcasts, unnecessary, weak. They thought that no matter how amazing we were, our illnesses always got in the way. They believed that we were better off not being hunters at all, if it meant that we would never be able to get things done alone.

However, I knew that even if that was part of it, the other reasons played a much larger role in comparison. I had known Mana for nearly two and a half years, and this had been maybe the fifth time I'd ever seen her get so worked up over something. She was generally a serene and cheerful person, but the moment her fuse was lit, she was like an overheated engine. Her obstinacy showed when she was angry with something, and she always stood her ground firmly.

In all the time that I'd known her, I couldn't remember a time when I had gotten so infuriated with her. Normally, Mana and I got along extremely well. There had never been any conflict between us, and she never gave me any reasons to distrust her or get aggravated with her. But the very moment she started saying all those things to Zero, something inside me just _snapped_. My vision had practically been blinded with red at that moment in time. I felt this sort of hot sensation in my chest that burned me inside out.

And I knew that, no matter how hard I tried to convince myself otherwise, _that _had a position in why I got so riled up over it.

I slipped on a pair of shoes and pushed open the front door, stepping outside into the chilly weather. The sky ahead was still gray with clouds, but it wasn't raining nor snowing. A light, cool breeze pranced by, tickling the bare skin of my mid-thighs. I supposed that I should have changed my casual attire before leaving the Association, but when I had been walking down here, I hadn't even remembered that the warmth inside the building completely differed from the world outside.

Brushing it off, I inhaled deeply, shutting my eyes. The cold air went down to my lungs, trying to cool off the flaming sensation that was still carried in my chest. It was refreshing and definitely welcomed. I started walking leisurely down the cement sidewalk, absorbed in my own thoughts as I stared blankly at the ground.

Vaguely, in the back of my mind, I heard something. Yet, too lost in my reverie to give it a second thought, I continued walking. It took me a second to realize that it was _not_ normal to hear something like that. Upon noticing a very familiar presence, I half-turned my body just as a large, pale hand clamped down on my shoulder and attempted to pull me back.  
><em><br>I wonder_...

My green and gold eyes clashed violently against lovely light lavender ones that had silver stands of hair falling into them. I was momentarily stunned at seeing the tall hunter, and I was sure it showed on my face. His expression, however, remained just as unmoved and solemn as always.  
><em><br>Hey, can I ask you something?_

He spoke my name in his naturally quiet voice. "Tashiro."

Bewildered, I stammered out, "What are—why are you here?"

"It's impossible for you to carry everything back yourself," came his curt, simple response.

I merely blinked at him, still extraordinarily perplexed, but the burning feeling in my chest softened into light warmth. It was a fuzzy feeling that only lasted a second before it was replaced by something colder, harsher, heavier.

It made me feel like I was drowning all over again._  
><em>  
>My eyes were glued to his as I stared, rendered somewhat speechless, into his mauve eyes as if I was entranced by a spell.<br>_  
>When can I finally fall apart?<br>_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

I think that my favourite part of this chapter is, like... the last ten paragraphs. THE ENTIRE CHAPTER. But yeah. I don't know. LOL. I dropped a ton of hints for you guys about things that will show up _really _soon, so I hope that you guys picked it all up and look forward to finding out the answers!

( In all honesty, though, I think that I just love the chapter name. Yes. I'm weird. Bite me. OTL. )

BUT SERIOUSLY! There's going to be a major portion based on something mentioned in this chapter. Sort of. Well, I think it'll happen, but ANYWAYS. ASDFGHJKL.

I'm sorry for any spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and OOCness!

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**Demonic Angel 7, luvJesusInHeavn, Anemos, YouFall9Times, Yuna, Vertan Yamamoto, levyredfoxichi, Jade Starlight, Tsukuda Sumiko, xXMizukiXx, KuroNightroad, and Midnight**

Thank you guys so much for your wonderful reviews and your amazing support! I appreciate it so much. (:

Also, thanks to those of you who have favourited and alerted! It makes me happy, too. xD

As usual, response time!

To **Anemos**;

Pfft, it's nice to hear from YOU. xD  
>Yeah, time <em>does<em> pass by so fast. I can't believe that I started this story, like... over eight months ago. WHERE DID THE TIME-Dear lord. xD I'm glad that you were ecstatic upon seeing my update, though, and I hope that this ones makes you happy as well. Man, thanks for sticking with me for so long. HAHA. I really appreciate it, and I'm so grateful. (:  
>Nah, I'm not offended at all! I'm not easily offended or anything, so feel free to just say whatever is on your mind. xD Besides, I'd say that our of all my fanfics, Heterochromia's also my favourite.<br>Don't worry about it; I have a million OCs in this story. I blame it on the fact that VK itself doesn't have many characters. Or, well, characters with names. The entire manga focuses so much on Zero, Yuuki, and Kaname, that hardly any of the other characters are mentioned and such, so this prompted me to create a thousand OCs to fill in the blanks. HAHA. So yeah, don't worry about it.  
>Oh dear lord, the visits... xD Keep waiting for that! HAHA. It might take a while before it's addressed. UGH. Don't even get me started on the recent chapters. I will break some... some... I DON'T KNOW WHAT, BUT I'LL BREAK SOMETHING. Gosh. I get so... ASDFGHJkL.<br>The parfait interaction between the two was also my favourite part in the chapter. HAHA. I couldn't stop writing it. It turned out so long, I don't even... -sigh- Still, I loved the end result, so I shouldn't complain. xD  
>Thank you so much for your fantabuloussssssss support and review, Anemos! I hope that you liked this chapter~ (:<p>

To **YouFall9Times**;

Aww, thank you! HAHA. Maybeeee. I don't think it's anything too special though; I'm sure that a lot of other authors do the same. xP  
>ASDFGHJKL. THANK YOU. I don't even- I'm so touched. LOL. I admit that I wasn't a huge fan of the anime, either. Or the manga, actually.<br>"Cold"? DID HE COME OFF THAT WAY? OTL. I hadn't exactly written the previous chapter with that adjective in mind. I think I write him that way because I think Zero's really... reserved? I just can't imagine him getting close to anyone or _letting_ people get close to him so easily, especially when it's someone like Ivy. I mean, doesn't she seem sketchy to you? HAHA. MAYBE IT'S JUST ME. -GRINS- I love Arashi. Period. ;D  
>I will <em>definitely<em> continue this! Don't worry about me abandoning it. I love this story a lot ( it's my favourite out of all my fanfics ) so I can't leave it be. I'm going to finish this, so I hope you look forward to everything unraveling! (:  
>It should be the opposite; thank YOU for reading this! I'm happy to hear from you!<br>And maybbbbbbeeeeeeee... HAHA. I can imagine those two getting along, though. (;  
>Thank you so much for you encouraging review! I hope to hear from you more often, and I hope that you enjoyed this latest update!<p>

To **Yuna**;

Really? I guess I can understand. From what you've said, though, that ones seems to be the most dark. It just... sounds so sad. I'm aware of what happened with Kaito and Taito, but it still breaks my heart whenever I hear about it. x.x  
>I'm glad that you enjoyed the update!<br>HAHA. I'll try to summarize it here for you ( I'm sorry that I'm so confusing! ). Basically, you know how your blood cells die off eventually and regenerate? The concept of these "attacks" is that the blood EX5 has isn't completely their own blood. EX5 is stronger than other hunters because they have Pureblood blood in their bodies. Even though blood from Purebloods is really rich and stuff, there's no way that they don't die off at some point, right? So the thing is that, EX5's _normal_ blood regenerates more quickly than the Pureblood's blood, and as the Pureblood's blood continues to die off, the more diluted it becomes. When the normal blood is the majority of the blood in their system, due to the "disease", their Pureblood cells immediately begin to regenerate themselves to regain the balance in the two blood levels. And because a person's body can only hold so much blood, since the Pureblood blood is more beneficial to their bodies, the normal blood gets pushed out of their systems somehow. Ivy's is through coughing it up, while Al's makes him bleed from his eyes. That's basically it. I'M SORRY IF THIS IS REALLY CONFUSING AND LONG. If you don't get it, please tell me again! I'll try my best to make it simpler. X.x  
>Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me, Yuna! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, too!<p>

To **Tsukuda Sumiko**;

Oh dear lord, TSUKUDAAAAAAAAA! I've missed you! I can't believe you sat yourself through two hours of my writing. LOL. I'm so happy and so thankful to hear from you again, but I'm sorry that I made you push aside your homework! OTL.  
>YES. Even more interactions are to come. I'm so excitedddd. XD<br>LMAO. Everyone loves Arashi. It makes me happy to know that he's adorable enough for people to love him so much. I think that Al would, upon first hearing his loss of first place, would be incredulous and sulky about it, but then he'd see Arashi again and be like, "Ugh, okay, I can see why I lost." xD  
>... Man, I don't even know. It just hit me one day. I think it was during a test .-SLAPPED-<br>I love Zero and Ivy together. But you know. Once again, I'm being so incredibly biased. xD I'm so glad to know that you love them together as well, though. -grins-  
>ASDFGHJKL. Thank you for putting so much time into reading my stuff, Tsukuda. -SOBS- YOU'RE AMAZING. THANK YOU.<br>And no, I don't have a tumblr, BUTTT! Send me a blink to your blog? LOL. (;  
>Welcome back on board, Tsukuda! Thank you so much for continuing to support me. HAHA. Hearing from you again was amazing! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter just as much as the previous... five. (;<p>

To **KuroNightroad**;

Uh... LOL. I think so. I mean, I chuckled while writing it, but that's just me. xD I'm glad that you found it funny, though. HAHA.  
>Pfft, no. Pedo-bears would be different. HAHA. I love Arashi as well. Man, that boy DESERVES to be hugged and smothered in kisses.<br>There are plenty more questions and answers to come, so I hope you look forward to it! ;D  
>Thank you so much for all your amazing support, Kuro! You must be so busy. HAHA. Even so, I hope that this chapter was worth your time. (:<p>

To **Midnight**;

Well, I'm glad that you really like Heterochromia! XD  
>And really? I feel like I give away a <em>lot<em> of information about Ivy. I drop a lot of hints in my chapters, but most of the time, they're really subtle hints that most people probably miss. But I believe that it's what makes Ivy so complicated. It's just how she is; she doesn't give away everything about herself, directly or not. She's a person you need to read in between the lines and go deeper to figure out, and I think that's one of the reasons why Zero is so bothered by her. xD But I shall keep your suggestion in mind!  
>Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me! I really appreciate it ( and the fact that you said it so nicely! XD ). I hope that you liked this chapter, too! (:<p>

END OF RESPONSESS~

Well, this signals the end of the thirteenth chapter of Heterochromia! I hope that you guys all found it pleasant~ xD The rebellion's already in place, and you guys learned about Al and Cheryl's anti-vampire weapons! YAY~ (:

Thanks to everyone who answered my question from the previous chapter! I love reading about your thoughts! So I'll continue asking different questions in each chapter. HOHOHO. Yes, I'm torturing y'all.

**QUESTION: What question, regarding anything that has happened so far in the story, are you most eager to hear the answer to?**

IS THIS DIFFICULT? I hope so. -SLAPPED-

The next chapter will contain a TONNNNNN of ZEROXIVY GOODNESS. I KNOW IT WILL. COUNT ON IT. ASDFGHJLK. I'm so excited to write the chapter, you guys don't even know. LOL. Like I said before, I'll try to update before school ( Which officially starts on the 5th of Sept, in case any of you are wondering ), but no promises. x.x

Like it? Love it? Hate it?

Please drop me a review or a PM telling me your thoughts, or if you believe that I deserve it!

Of course, thank you guys again! I hope to update before I die in school. OTL.

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	14. Timorous

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight. It belongs solely to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N:**

So... My streak of updating in less than a month kind of... died... B-BUT I- School. It's killing me. Math and physics? Oh god, someone shoot me now.

Anyone else feeling the same way? OTL.

I'd end this author's note and just let you all read the latest chapter, but I have some exciting news to give y'all before I do so. Can you guess what it is? THAT'S RIGHT. _FANART_, YAYYYY! (:

**~*~* ART *~*~**

I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M RECEIVING MORE FANART, I CAN'T EVEN- THANK YOU GUYS. I already know that I already said this to you guys a million times, but I honestly can't express how grateful I am. Both pieces I got were absolutely amazing, and I can't believe they took the time to create such masterpieces for me. I WAS WRITING WILDLY TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU GUYS BECAUSE THEY'RE TOO BEAUTIFUL TO KEEP TO MYSELF. -SOBS-

The first artwork that I'm going to link you to this time will be drawn by the lovely and wonderful **luvJesusInHeavn**, whose dA account is of the same name. IT'S THE FIRST FANART I'VE EVER GOTTEN FOR ANY OF MY STORIES WHERE MY OC IS ACTUALLY **WITH **HER SIGNIFICANT OTHER. I CAN'T EVEN- I WAS DYING WHEN I SAW THAT SHE WAS DRAWN WITH ZERO IN THE PICTURE, TOO. ASNEBOWNAEOBWNEBP. -clears throat- Well, it's amazing. I think I've already said that, but whatever. THANK YOU! ( I've said that a million times, too. OTL. ) The link to it is here:

luvjesusinheavn .deviantart art/Vampire-Knight- Heterchromia -328669379

The second lovely amazing fantabulous piece that I received during the time that I didn't update would be created by the -insert ten million praises here- magnificent **XxStargazingXxXWitchxX**! Her dA account is called **syufang **AND AHMYGOD, WHY ARE YOU SO AMAZING? AWBENOWNBPQ. IT'S WONDERFUL AND BADASS AND I CAN'T EVEN- She didn't ask me for any descriptions, and she was beating herself up about the fact that Rixelvelt wasn't drawn the way that I had described it, BUT HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE IT? IT'S BREATHTAKING. Her dress. The background. The hair. I CAN'T- -breathes- OKAY. I hope that you guys check out her gallery even though she's new to dA! I mean, there's not a ton of stuff to look through, but I hope y'all continue to keep updated with her work as time continues on! (: The link for her amazingness is here:

syufang. deviantart art/ Fanart-for-EverlastingxSong-329557357

**REMEMBER TO TAKE OUT THE SPACES! (:**

Okay guys. LOL. I'm done spazzing out... for now.

ENJOY, M'LOVES!

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER FOURTEEN;<strong>

_"Timorous"_

* * *

><p>Silence hung between us as we walked side by side down the pavement. There was a foot of space between us that always seemed to be present, and although I couldn't call the air between us <em>tense<em>, I'd say that it was a bit awkward. It was probably just me who felt that way, but I couldn't help it. Zero being out here with me was so unexpected, I didn't know what to say or how to feel. After all, I had come out here thinking I'd be alone.

I wanted to be able to reflect back on what I did back in the meeting room, and I wanted to be able to let my thoughts overwhelm me. It was clear, however, that I couldn't be doing the latter while the silver-haired hunter was present. Although I trusted Zero an infinitely amount more than I trusted most others, I still didn't want him to delve deeper into who I was any more than he needed to.

Sucking in a deep gulp of air, I held my breath for a moment before exhaling loudly. I wracked my brain for something to talk about, since the quiet that had wrapped itself around us—although not a bad thing—was somewhat uncomfortable for me.

Fortunately, and very surprisingly, Zero was the one who destroyed the hush. "Tashiro."

"Ivy," I absentmindedly fixed. This had happened so many times that it just automatically slipped out of my mouth now. My eyes danced to meet his for a moment before they retreated back to staring at the floor. "What is it?"

"The concern you have for me is annoying," Zero informed me bluntly. His long, elegant overcoat was left unbuttoned and untied, the ends of it falling a bit past his calves. The darkness of it contrasted brilliantly with his hair, the metallic part of the unfastened belt ringing softly as we strolled down the street with ease.

I didn't look up at him as I said quietly, "Sorry."

For a brief moment, I felt his gaze rest on the top of my head before disappearing. "You refuse to have others fuss over you, yet you're always worried about everyone. It's hypocritical."

A small laugh escaped my lips—he caught me red-handed. It was exactly as he said, and I was sure that everyone knew it. "It is. I like to think that it's the only thing I'm hypocritical about, though."

"It's one of the most irritating things to be hypocritical about," Zero retorted. I rounded a corner toward the town's department store, and he followed just a step behind. I knew that if he wanted to, he could have easily moved ahead with his long legs, but he didn't.

Lips quirked up into a smile, I looked at him over my shoulder. "Aren't you just saying that because _you're _the one I'm always worrying over now?"

He met my eyes steadily with his own. Again, there was that scrutinizing look in his pale orbs. "Rather than wasting your time on me, you'd be better off thinking of yourself."

Shaking my head, I turned back to face the front. Clasping my hands together behind my back, I tilted my head up to look at the dull sky that had been so bright just a few weeks ago. "Not really. You see, the thing is... I'm just me, but you're _you_. There's this huge gap between us that makes everything different. I can't protect myself from things that are so close to me that they're a blur. I can, however, protect _you_ from those things because you're so far away from them that _you're _clear."

"Though you can't protect yourself, you don't let others do it." His gaze burned into my back. Even though I wasn't facing him, I knew that he was looking at me with his lavender eyes that were so shielded, yet had so many emotions tossing and turning in them.

"You're like that too," I reminded him, letting myself straighten my head to stare ahead of me again. There were no people walking up and down the street despite the fact that there usually was. There were no children laughing and chasing one another or the smell of freshly baked bread. The town's buildings and streets were vacant, almost as if there were no residents here. Seeing such a large place that had been full of so many people just a few days ago suddenly so empty was a bit unnerving.

"Don't confuse yourself with me," Zero stated his disagreement.

"I'm not," I objected. "You can't do anything about what we're trying to shield you from, but you don't want us to protect you from it."

He let out a disbelieving scoff. "That's because I don't know _what _I need to keep on guard for."

Bingo. With a triumph grin softened with sadness, I turned to face him. "Exactly."

Something fluttered delicately over his handsome, angular features before it disappeared. Sighing, he commented, "I'll find out eventually. Is there a point in keeping it from me if that's the case?"

My smile slipped at the thought of it. There were a million different reasons as to why I didn't want Zero to know about the situation. If he found out, it could speed things up, and that was definitely the last thing he'd—as well as I—would want. Yet, at the same time, I felt like a part of me was doing it for my own selfish, beneficial reasons.

"Would you believe me," I started off slowly, hesitantly, "if I told you it's to protect you from yourself?"

Pale eyes narrowed a fraction. "Your riddles are rather annoying to discern."

"You mentioned this to me already before," I remembered with a light smile. "Ah!" Upon spotting a cafe that I had been to before—I had completely forgotten about it since I hadn't been in town for any matters that weren't related to work recently—I quickly moved toward it in a desperate urge to have some coffee.

Opening the door, the scent of coffee beans and hazelnut caressed me, the small wind chimes ringing over the top of my head. It was completely empty, no barista behind the speckled dark gray counters, though I had already been expecting as much. It looked just like it had the last time I came a few months ago—the chairs were still made of wood and had comfy black cushions, the lighting was still relatively dim, the booths were still along the far side of the room in order to allow privacy, and the rows of ingredients and other materials were surely situated underneath the long counter.

Jumping over it with ease, I picked up one of the coffee cups off the stack and took a moment to find all the ingredients I would need to make my own coffee. Opening a cupboard that was beneath the cash register, I inquired, "Would you like anything, Zero?"

"You never struck me as the type to steal," was his declination.

"I'm not stealing," I protested as I began to make my coffee. Taking a moment to spare him a smile, I said, "Just because nobody's here doesn't mean I'm not paying for it. There's no way that I'm going towns and towns over to get groceries and then dragging them back here." I paused in making my own coffee to reach for another large cup. "If I remember correctly... You loved French vanilla lattes when we were younger." Teasingly, I asked, "Does that still stand, or did you change your preference to something like straight black coffee?"

He was beginning to understand how I operated, as he answered, "Don't ask me if you already know the answer."

Laughing as he confirmed my thoughts, I placed his cup onto the counter and took out the necessary ingredients to make his latte. Considering the fact that it had been days since anyone had even touched any of the equipment and machines, I had to start from the beginning. It was silent between the two us except for the loud sounds that were occasionally made from the utensils I was using. It wasn't long before the delicious smell of coffee swirled around the room and wafted in the air as a lovely fragrance.

Finished making both of our drinks after a few hushed minutes, I walked over to where Zero had taken a seat at one of the tables. As I set down his drink carefully in front of him and then took the seat across from him, he murmured, "Thanks."

"I don't think you should be saying that to me when I didn't ask you if you wanted any," I pointed out to him lightly as I twirled the small, but long wooden spoon in my coffee cup to mix the cream and sugar I had put in it. I watched fixedly as the dark obsidian colour turn into a light toffee shade. Taking the spoon out, I placed the plastic lid over the cup and took a sip as I closed my eyes, barely feeling like I could open them again.

I had a feeling that I'd need more than one cup of this heavenly liquid.

Fighting down the urge to just succumb to my sleepiness, I managed to pry open my eyes again with difficulty. Blinking hazily to clear my vision, I found Zero staring at me with an unreadable expression on his face. Somewhat unnerved, I gave him a strange look and asked him hesitantly, "What is it...?"

"It's not really insomnia." He didn't _ask _me that, but he _stated_ it. Upon seeing the startled look and the question written plainly across my face, his eyes shifted down to stare at the latte he had yet to taste. "It's not that you can't sleep at regular intervals, it's that you _choose _not to."

A thousand questions swam through my mind as I stared, somewhat caught, at the lavender-eyed vampire in front of me. My voice was quiet and confused as I breathed in wonder, "How?"

"You're dead on your feet half the time," Zero told me without any change in his usual tone. "There are treatments to help you rest, whether it's medicine or another way, but you don't do anything about your sleep deprivation." His eyes fell onto my coffee cup pointedly before they slid away to stare out the window indifferently. "You always drink coffee."

There was a pause, but I remained silent. It was obvious that he was going to continue speaking, and I tried to relax my tensed body. When his eyes met mine as he spoke again, I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"You used to hate it."

My eyebrows shot up to my hairline as I stared, overthrown with emotions, at the person in front of me. Stuttering in my chest, my heart stumbled around before it could continue its rapid beat properly. So many thoughts and questions were flying around in my head. Did he remember? _Why _did he suddenly remember? What happened?

Already predicting half of what I wanted to say, Zero shook his head slightly and propped his elbow up onto the table, resting the edge of his chin in his palm. His longer, slender fingers went up to obscure half of his face, his fingertips disappearing underneath his soft strands of hair. "That's all I remember about you."

Even though I told myself that I didn't care if he couldn't ever remember, disappointment still sat on my chest at his words. I wanted to slap myself for it, because I had already promised myself that I wouldn't expect anything from him. I had told myself over and over again that even if he didn't remember, it was going to be okay because that was _then_ and this was _now_.

Yet a part of me was upset at being forgotten so easily. It was a small part, but it was a piece of me that spoke so loudly.

Resisting the urge to sigh at my own hypocrisy—what had I been thinking when I said caring about others but hating being cared for was the only thing I was a hypocrite about?—I tilted my head as I looked at Zero's misery-tainted eyes. "I told you before that it's okay if you don't remember, right?"

"The expression you had on your face said otherwise," he muttered, a scowl twisting his features deeply.

He had _seen _that? I thought that I had composed myself almost instantly. It was always times like these that made me dislike being within the presence of observant people—it made me feel like I was an open book waiting for them to read me. I was generally a person who was open about practically everything, but there were, of course, things that I would prefer people not noticing about me.

This, as well as my forced insomnia, were some of those things.

However, seeing that he had already caught me red-handed, I merely smiled at him in sheepish apology. "You weren't supposed to see that. But now that you have, I guess I _can_ say that I'm a bit sad that I'm not in your memory. Then again, just because it disappoints me slightly doesn't mean that it's not _okay_. I meant it when I said that you don't have to remember and that the past is the past. If you can't remember, there should be a reason for it. I think that if you _truly_ want to remember, then it'll come to you eventually. There's no need to rush it if it doesn't matter nearly as much as what happens now." Pausing, I let out an embarrassed laugh as I recalled the bubbling sensation in my chest from earlier. Face reddening slightly, I confessed, "I'm really happy that you remember that about me, though. Even if you think it's not anything significant, it still means _something_. So thank you."

He scrutinized at me silently for a moment, causing my face to darken a shade or two even more. I didn't look away from him despite the warmth in my cheeks, but that didn't mean I didn't _want _to. Yet, as always, it seemed like I was stuck right where I was, unable to move, as I returned his gaze.

"You're wrong," he said after a moment. When I gave him a confused look, he expanded, "When you said that the past doesn't matter as much as the present."

"You can't change what happened in the past," I reminded him even though it was something that nobody could really forget. Taking another sip of coffee, I swallowed before continuing, "But what you do _now _can change what happens in the future." My lips pulled upwards as I said my next sentence. "Unless, of course, you believe in fate."

"Who you are now is because of what happened back in the past," Zero retorted as he straightened himself out slightly. His overcoat rustling was faintly heard, and he reached out for his cup of latte. His eyes never leaving mine even as he took a sip, he stated, "You said that the past isn't significant, but that's because it involves _you_."

Giving him a mock-scowl, I chided, "You can't just go taking my lines like that and rewording them so that they work against me."

"The fact that they can be fired against you says something," he shot back at me as he regarded me carefully. "Everything about you is a contradiction, even though you try to portray otherwise. If you're trying to seem plain and mundane, then you're failing horribly at it."

A small, almost nonexistent chuckle left me even though I didn't find anything humorous. Amusing, yes, but in a way that seemed a bit too close for comfort. Shifting my gaze to the table for a moment, I absentmindedly traced around the rim of the coffee cup cover with the tip of my index finger.

Glancing up at him from underneath my lashes, I tried to sound like I was joking as I suggested, "Want to stop picking me apart?"

"Even though you do it to me?" he countered calmly, leaning back against his seat. One of his arms was hanging down by his side while the other was tossed loosely over his abdomen, his long legs uncrossed. He had a small slouch to his posture as he gazed at me expectantly with piercing eyes, waiting for my response.

"Sorry, but... I can't help it. Like I said before, you're easy to read. Maybe it's because I'm worried about you, or perhaps it's because I've known you from before, or that Ichiru always told me things about you... All these things make me feel like you're the back of my hand." I stopped for a moment, and dropped my eyes again. In a softer voice, I continued, "It's so hard to leave you alone, Zero. You seem so delicate, so fragile. Half the time, you look like a daisy petal would be enough to knock you down onto the floor. Even though you try to hide it, the people around you who look closely enough can see that you always look like you're trying so hard not to fall apart."  
><em><br>If only I could make it all go away._

My eyes slanted off to the side to stare at a spot on the floor. "Is it... wrong of me to want to see you happy again?"

The only sound that could be heard for the next several moments was the ticking of the clock. It seemed as if it was shrieking every second rather than just softly ticking. For some reason, my heart seemed to imitate the loudness of the clock and the quickness of it. My hands suddenly felt a bit clammy, my body a bit more tense than usual.

I was too nervous to look up at him, because I knew that Zero wasn't one that enjoyed having affection shown for, or showing his emotions. I wondered if I had hurt his pride at any point in what I had said. After all, the words "delicate" and "fragile" surely weren't very flattering for someone who was as tall and as toned as Zero. He probably found me odd and strange for saying I wanted to see him happy. He seemed like the type to wonder why I would care about him so much even though we were barely above mere acquaintances, though he should already know that it was a bit deeper than that.

At least that was how it was for me.

Refusing to let the hush continue on, I finished off the rest of my coffee hastily and stood up from my seat, still avoiding his eyes. "I need some more coffee. Just let me refill my cup? We can go get the groceries after."

I had just finished refilling my cup and was putting in all the extra sweeteners when Zero unexpectedly asked me, "What makes you see me as 'fragile' and 'delicate?'" Though his tone was as neutral as always, it seemed to be lying on top of a layer of desperation. I had been startled when the sound of his voice broke the stillness of the room, and I automatically looked up at him.  
><em><br>Again, _my mind whispered to me. _His eyes._

Upon hearing his question, my mind involuntarily conjured up numerous images and scenarios in my mind. Instead, I settled for a slight quirk of the lips to form a sad, understanding smile. "How much does it hurt?"

"What do you mean?" He was watching me from the corner of his eyes, his body only a tiny bit rigid. There was an air about Zero that was so hard to describe. It was like he always gave off a freezing aura, but at the same time, it wasn't _cold_. It was mixed with apathy, yet it seemed like such a forlornly wistful nonchalance.

I stopped what I was doing to give him my undivided attention. Very briefly, I wondered why I was intentionally bringing up a subject that I never wanted to speak about. "How much does it hurt to be in love with her?"

Like I expected him to, Zero stiffened into something similar to a statue. His head snapped toward me, his eyes just a fraction wider than they usually were. In that moment of unguarded surprise, they stared at me openly in a way that made me want to cry. Attempting to cover up, he struggled to ask in his usual voice, "What are you talking about?"

"You wear your heart on your sleeve. There's no need to hide it," I informed him with a small, teasing laugh. Shaking my head, I looked at him somberly. "She's one of the reasons why you look like you'll break. It's because you love her. It's because you love her so much, want her so much, that you're destroying yourself to try and keep things from snapping. You have to see the woman you love with the man you loathe so much. You endure so much. It's painful, isn't it?" I blinked at him and murmured, "There's only so much pain a person can take before they start to crumble apart. You're reaching that limit where you try so hard to hold yourself together at the seams, but it's just not working."

"You seem to have misunderstood," Zero deadpanned. Lips thinned and eyes narrowed with his eyebrows furrowed together slightly, he looked at me with a scowl playing grimly across his features. "Don't associate her with me. Someone like her—there's nothing that could possibly effect me."

I leaned on my elbows over the counter, giving him an unconvinced look. "Really? Because even now, when you're trying to deny any feelings for her, all I see is your love. The reason you're saying this is because you're trying to protect her, isn't it? Because you don't want her to be viewed as someone less amazing, less pure, than she is."

"You're twisting words and inferring things without proof, Tashiro," Zero commented.

"Ivy." My faint smile was still ghosting over my lips as I shook my head. "I might think that she's part of the reason why you're so frail, but... that doesn't mean I don't think she's an amazing person, Zero. She's beautiful in so many ways, it's blinding. Everything about her sets her apart from the rest. It's like she shines." Grinning at him, I said, "I can see why you fell in love with her."

His eyes dropped from mine for a moment as he turned his head to the side. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

At his reaction, I couldn't help but chortle softly. It seemed so like him to deny his feelings for her, especially when I had called him out on it so bluntly. Another part of me chuckled in relief, as it seemed like the tension between us had dissolved once more. Placing the lid back onto my coffee cup, I reached into the pocket of my dark jean shorts and pulled out my wallet. Opening it up, I plucked out a few bills that would definitely cover for more than just three cups of coffee.

Catching Zero's eyes, I grinned at him and waved the bills a bit before placing it down onto the counter right next to the cash register. "I told you I'd pay."

"You don't need to pay for my share," he told me. He looked at the amount of cash I had placed out and remarked, "Do you know how to count?"

"I'm the one who made it for you without your consent, so I should be the one who pays for it," I replied. Not looking to count the amount I had placed out, I said, "And yes I do, but it's alright. Since I go out on hunts a lot and generally at any time, I get paid more than most hunters due to all the jobs I take up. I have too much of this stuff. Besides," I spoke in a quieter voice, "I'm a Tashiro. Money and tangible things aren't a problem."

Zero made no response to that.

As we trekked outside and into the cold weather once more, I pulled my large, dark gray cardigan tighter around me. I squinted slightly to see where I was going when the wind blew, tossing our hair into disarray. When my strands of hair got into my face, I barely had any time to brush them away before I let out a sneeze.

"Excuse me." I sniffled, frowning.

"How troublesome," Zero sighed. When I looked at him in puzzlement, he was already beginning to shrug off his thick overcoat.

"Hey, no!" I exclaimed. Hastily, my hands shot out to snatch the lapels of his jacket, and I struggled to pull them back together. I stared up at him in horror, our footsteps halted. "What do you think you're _doing_? Are you crazy?"

Scowling at me, Zero inquired, "I should be asking _you _that." He glanced down at my hands and ordered, "Let go."

"No way." I shook my head to reject his command. "Don't just go taking off your jacket like that. You're going to get sick."

"I'm not Ichiru," came Zero's quiet response. From his answer, it was obvious that Mana's words were still echoing inside his mind.

Ignoring the way my heart clenched slightly in my chest upon recollecting memories of my close friend, I insisted, "That doesn't mean you can't get sick!"

"You're cold, I'm not." Zero began to take his jacket off once more, but I continued to pull it tighter around him.

Shaking my head at him, I said, "Japan has a saying that stupid people don't get sick, right? Well, I'm stupid, so it's okay. I won't catch a cold or anything. And your jacket's so huge, I swear that I'll be tripping over my own two feet if I wear it. It's going to drag on the floor and it's going to get all dirty." When I finished speaking, I realized that I had just insulted myself with the whole "I'm stupid" comment. I could feel myself flushing slightly in embarrassment, and I had to resist the urge to facepalm myself.

Zero's usually solemn voice was laced with—although practically miniscule—amusement as he asked me rhetorically, "What's with that?"

"Just..." Pathetically, I shook the pieces of cloth I was holding and said, "Keep your jacket on, okay? It's really chivalrous and thoughtful of you, but it's fine."

Staring down at me with his piercing orbs, he inquired plainly, "Do you insist on making my life harder than it needs to be?"

"That's not it, it's just—" my eyes roamed over what he was wearing under his overcoat. It was a thin, loose dark blue sweater that didn't look warm enough at all. At least my cardigan was thick, opposed to the little warmth that I knew his attire would provide him. "If you let me wear your coat, you're going to freeze to death. You're hardly wearing anything inside it."

"There's a reason why I didn't wear anything warmer," he countered.

"Zero—"

"Stop being so stubborn, Tashiro."

Our eyes met each other's unwaveringly for a moment. Nothing about his countenance gave him away, but I had a feeling that Zero was an extremely persistent person. That, unfortunately, clashed violently with my own personality as I had been told on numerous occasions that I was extraordinarily adamant. But as I looked up at Zero, whether it was what he had said or just the general effect he had on people, I couldn't help but resign.

"Can I wear it on our way back to the Association?" I negotiated with him, releasing the lapels of his coat and bringing my hands together in front of my face pleadingly. "We're nearly at the store anyways."

After analyzing me for a moment, Zero seemed to have come to a similar conclusion about my obstinacy just like I had done with his. Exhaling softly in reply, he began to walk once more. "Let's go."

My teeth flashed upon hearing his agreement. Prancing next to him, I asked him curiously, "Do you remember if anyone has any severe allergies?"

"Most allergies were related to nuts," he answered swiftly. I wasn't surprised at hearing his response, because I had seen him going over the town's residents' profiles the very day we had gotten everyone into the building. "There's a handful of people who are allergic to kiwi and peaches."

"But everything else is fine?" When he nodded, I made a contemplative noise. "That makes things a lot easier. I was expecting to have an enormous list of food that we had to avoid while everyone's in such close proximity of each other, but with so few allergies, I guess that we can pretty much buy everything we usually have at the Association."

"How did you plan to take everything back without a car?" Zero asked, flicking me a glance. "It's shopping for meals that will be for hundreds of people." He didn't need to say it, since it was clear that the chances I'd be able to carry all that food back to the Association alone in just one trip was ridiculous.

Smiling as we neared the department store's entrance, I said, "Simple." I strode over to where the shopping carts were, and after inserting the required coin into the slot that freed it from the long row, I wheeled it over to Zero. "Ta-da!"

"You plan to take the cart back to the Association." It wasn't a question.

Grinning, I pointed out, "Hey, I'm paying for their meals for a few days, and it's not like I'm keeping the cart permanently. I'll return it when I come back here again to get more food. Besides, it's fun to ride on these things."

"... Fine," he eventually sighed. "It doesn't matter anyway."

The automatic doors slid open for us as we approached it, and we stepped into the vast expanse of the store. The lights were off, so it wasn't brightly lit, but due to our vampire nature, we were absolutely fine with being in the dark. Our enhanced senses allowed us to see perfectly despite the very dim lighting, the blinds blocking off any sunlight that may have gotten into the building if they had been pulled up. The store itself was quiet and cool, the machines having been left on to keep the food cold or frozen.

Not knowing where to start, I asked Zero hopefully, "Do you have any idea what we're going to have for dinner tonight?"

"Kaito said something about creating a variety," was his answer.

"So, what, he wants to make things like beef hotpot, curry, soba, and things like that?" I asked curiously.

Making a noncommittal sound that signaled that he didn't know, Zero walked further into the store and began getting the ingredients. After checking with him what I needed to get, I went off on my own to get half of the food that we needed for the next two days.

About half an hour later, I had finished getting just about everything. The only things that I was missing were the coffee whiteners. Setting down the two completely full shopping baskets onto the floor—I had left the shopping cart with Zero before he could say anything—my eyes skimmed the cooling shelves that had all the diary products. It took me a few seconds, but I spotted the diverse range of flavours lined up along the highest shelf.

Hazelnut, vanilla, Irish cream, almond... I blinked at all the different tastes they had. I hadn't been informed about the most favoured flavour, but I didn't think that any of the adults minded as long as they got their coffee.

When I tried to grab the large bottles of whitener, I realized that I wasn't _nearly _tall enough to reach. Holding back a sigh, I stood as far on my tip-toes as I could and stretched my arm up desperately. I was clutching at the edge of one of the cold shelves for support as I tried to reach farther up. The tips of my fingers skimmed the bottle, but I couldn't get it. The reason for this—aside from my rather short stature—was the fact that the bottles in the front had been snagged off the shelves before the rebellion began, so the ones left were farther back along the shelf.

Giving up after another futile attempt, I fell back onto the soles of my feet and sighed, grimacing lightly. I was just about to climb up onto the bottom ledge—because I knew that I could reach it with ease if I did so—when, abruptly, a presence made itself known behind me.

"If you couldn't reach, you should have just said so." Zero's voice, which was like velvety smooth chocolate and just as rich, sounded so close to me. His long arms, which connected to equally elongated and slender fingers, reached out to pluck the bottles off the shelf with immense ease. I was about to look at him over my shoulder, but I came face-to-face with his chest instead.

I had never really known just how tall Zero was until that moment.

Tilting my head farther, I was met with the image of the underside of his chin, showing his prominently beautiful jaw line. I'd always known that Zero was tall, but I had never quite noticed just how much he towered over me.

I wondered if I looked more like a child to him than anything else.

"What?" His voice broke me out of my reverie.

Startled, I jolted slightly at the sound of his voice, and I had to drag myself back to the present. When I looked at him, I realized he was staring down at me. "Sorry!" was my automatic response.

Zero gave me an expression that I couldn't describe. He wasn't scowling, but he wasn't smiling, either. The downward tilt of his lips that always seemed to be present was, at that moment, gone. "I don't need an apology for something like this."

"Still... It must have caused you trouble to have to find me, right? Sorry, and thank you," I told him with a smile. "Although I could have gotten those myself if I had used the ledge as a support, you know."

"I'd hope so," he replied as he placed the bottles into the overflowing shopping cart. We had originally intended to place everything inside the cart, but it was so packed that we ended up sticking the two baskets on the extra metal surface at the bottom of the cart. Even though we had been neat with the stacking, it still looked like everything would topple over with the faintest bump.

Making our way back to the front of the store, where the exit was, I pulled out my wallet and pulled out a wad of cash. Slipping it into a discreet but noticeable spot for the cashier, I slipped my considerably less thick wallet into my pocket again.

"Do you want me to push the—" I hadn't even finished my sentence as I turned around to face him when something hit me in the face. I let out some sort of surprised noise, instantly pulling it away from me. However, as I held it out in front of me, I realized that it was Zero's overcoat.

He didn't look at me as he exited the store in his thin sweater, pushing the undeniably heavy cart all alone. I couldn't do anything but stare at his back speechlessly. I wanted to protest against wearing his jacket, but I knew that if I did so, I'd be going back against my words, and that was one of the things I always tried to avoid doing.

Holding the coat out in the same position for a few more heartbeats, I sighed in defeat and hesitantly slipped it on. Sure enough, it was enormous on me, the sleeves extending way past the ends of my fingertips. Although his coat reached his mid-calf, the ends of the jacket dragged on the ground a bit when I wore it. I nearly winced, thinking of all the dirt that would get on it and how it'd get utterly ruined. It was warm, since he had been wearing it just a moment before, and it smelt exactly like him. I couldn't pinpoint the fragrance, but all I knew was that it wasn't cologne or anything of that sort.

It was an incredibly tantalizing scent that made my head spin.

Hurrying after Zero, I ran until I caught up with him, which took a while because I had tried pulling his coat up to make it seem shorter. As I got into pace with him, I attempted to push the sleeves up over my elbows, but each time I endeavoured to do it, the sleeves would just slip back down. I gave up eventually with furrowed eyebrows, and looked over at him. He was watching me from the corner of his eyes, and I had no doubt in my mind that he thought I looked like an idiot.

"Thank you," I told him sincerely. Frowning in concern as I looked at him, I asked, "Are you sure you don't want it back, though?"

"Stop asking."

"Then how about I push the—"

"Tashiro," he interrupted me. "Shut up and just continue walking."

I was about to protest again, but when I saw the look he shot me, I bit back what I wanted to say. Instead, I shook my head at him and murmured with a smile, "How long are you going to call me that? I've told you a ton of times before, haven't I? My name's Ivy."

He gave me a glance, but he remained silent.

I wondered, as we walked side by side in silence back to the Association, when he would say my name like the way he used to when we were younger.

* * *

><p>"Ivy." I looked up at Kaito, who was leaning sideways against the end of one of the bookshelves. "We have some guests that require immediate attention."<p>

"We do?" I asked in surprise. Slipping my bookmark in between the pages I had been on, I closed the novel shut and stood up. "I didn't even notice."

"I'm not surprised," Kaito responded as we began walking out of the library together. "It's been a while since you've slept."

"It hasn't even been a week," I corrected him. "I've gone on without sleep for much longer." Although I wasn't really quite sure of how long I actually lasted. I was sure that I had passed a two-week mark, though. I remembered quite clearly why I hadn't been able to sleep at all during those nights. They had been so dark, so restless, so frightening. I had been too scared to even blink my eyes.

Kaito scoffed at me incredulously. "As if _that _makes it okay. Listen, Ivy, you should try and resume a regular sleep schedule."

"It's been years since I've been able to do that," I reminded to him as we rounded a corner easily. I realized that he was leading me to the meeting room that I had been in earlier when I had cracked the glass table. Mana had coincidentally been in the kitchen when Zero and I returned, and the moment we saw one another, we instantly exclaimed our apologies. Needless to say, we made up instantly. She had also apologized deeply to Zero, who shrugged her words off and told her it was nothing.

"Slowly ease back into it," he responded, gazing down at me with his light hazel eyes.

The smile that I gave him was cheerless. "I would if I could, Kaito, but... It's a lot more complicated than just _sleeping_." When my eyes met his, I knew that he understood perfectly what I was talking about. After all, he had witnessed it before; the nights when I slept and woke up thrashing and screaming and sobbing. The nights when I would only be plagued with nightmares, the nights when I'd try to sleep, only to jolt awake feeling a hundred million times worse than I did when I had been sleep deprived.

Remaining silent, as he knew that there was no way he could respond to such a thing without hitting a nerve, Kaito rested a hand softly on top of my head and ruffled my hair. When I looked at him with an amused, quirked eyebrow, he had this guilty look in his eyes that he tried to hide.

"Sorry."

"Don't be," I told him with a smile and a shrug. "People bring it up all the time. It's fine." Upon reaching the door that led to the meeting room, Kaito reached out and opened it before I could. I said my thanks and walked in with him just a step behind me. I blinked when I saw the figures that sat around the room, surprised.

With a cheerfully charming and kind smile, Ichijou's forest eyes were bright as he greeted, "Good evening, Ivy-chan!"

Somewhat stunned, I murmured, "Ichijou..." My eyes flickered to rest on the three other figures. "Shiki, Aidou, Yuuki..." Remembering that I had to have _some _manners, I hastily bowed in greeting. "Good evening."

"Good evening," Shiki murmured, his apathetic eyes following my every move.

"You look even _worse _than you did when you left Cross Academy a few days ago!" came Aidou's lovely exclamation. He looked at me with his electrifying cerulean eyes, his wavy strands of gold thread just as perfect as always. "Your face looks like a bear was trying to eat it."

"Aidou-senpai!" Yuuki admonished.

"What? It's _true_!" Aidou protested, gesturing to me. He still had that aura of haughtiness around him, and maybe it was because I hadn't seen him in a while so many things could've changed, but he seemed to emit a kinder vibe. When I watched him a bit more closely, I came to the realization that it probably had something to do with the brunette Pureblood.

I laughed, not the least bit offended about what he had said. After all, I knew that I looked horribly beat up. When I glanced around the room at the vampires, I realized that none of them had any injuries marring their inhumane perfection.

Meeting Aidou's eyes, I smiled at him brightly. "I'm glad to see that you guys are in such good shape."

"We wish we could say the same for you as well," Ichijou replied softly. His eyes were concerned as they swept over me. "Ivy-chan, are you sure that you're supposed to be moving around with wounds like that?"

"You're practically a mummy," Shiki commented flatly, his pale eyes flickering over my body to see all the bandages that covered me.

Shaking my head, I replied, "I'm fine. Thank you, though."

When my eyes fluttered around the room again, I took notice of how Zero was leaning against the far wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He stared at the floor with his usual mild scowl, but I had a feeling that his eyes darted over to the Kuran Pureblood more than once. Al and Cheryl were seated on opposite ends of a couch, looking at ease. That must have meant that they had already gotten past the introductions and pleasantries with the Night Class students, which was something I was thankful for. Mana was seated on an armchair near Ichijou, and Kaito moved to seat himself across from Shiki.

Flopping down in between Cheryl and Al, I inquired curiously, "So what brings you guys here?" Judging from the way none of them looked too grave, then it couldn't have been anything _too _horrible. I also knew that Satoshi, Junko, and Nao could take care of themselves perfectly fine. Although I had been worried for a moment when I entered the room as to why they were here, I tried not to jump to conclusions too quickly.

"We were worried about you guys," Ichijou confessed easily. "It's strange... The mobs of vampires that attacked Cross Academy weren't uncontrollably large, despite all the students that are there. From what we've heard, you guys have had it a lot worse here, at the Association."

"There are many Night Class students," Yuuki picked up where Ichijou left off, "and so we came here to see if we can help out... We were just about to discuss what should be done."

"We already have a plan," Kaito answered, his hazel eyes meeting her crimson ones. "But I don't suggest you help with it."

"Why not?" she questioned him, her face solemn. Her voice was soft, but you could hear the fiery determination that was set there. Her eyes, as well, seemed so strong and absolute.

Al spoke up from beside me, resting his chin into the palm of his hand. Speaking in a languid voice but having sharp eyes, he explained simply, "Because you're a Pureblood. To vampires, your existence is of utmost importance, whether it's for selfish reasons or not. And because of that, putting you in a risky situation isn't something we'd like to do."

It wasn't as if Al wasn't a fan of taking risks, however. When I observed him from the corner of my eyes, I realized that there was something in his eyes that suggested that it was deeper than something like that. He didn't necessarily _care _about whether or not she mattered to vampires. Gambling on how dangerous it was for her or for us was part of his concern, but it wasn't the prominent portion of it.

My eyebrows furrowed as I stared at him.

"We came here fully prepared to take on any sort of task," Yuuki answered easily. Dressed in a white dress that fell to her mid-thighs and a thick cardigan over it, she looked at us with steady eyes. "Please allow us to assist you."

Silver and amethyst flashed in my mind. The words slipped out of my mouth nearly absentmindedly. "I think it's best if you don't."

"Please don't decide that on your own," Yuuki murmured as her eyes met mine.

"Shouldn't we hear the plan first before we decide anything?" Shiki asked in a disinterested tone like always. His thick, wavy strands of maroon hair seemed to sway with every movement he made. Leaning back lightly against the couch, his emotionless eyes scanned the room.

Ichijou nodded his head in agreement. Turning his eyes over to where Cheryl, Al, and I sat, he said gently, "We want to help. There's no need for you to carry all of it onto yourselves. I'm sure that you guys are all exhausted."

"_And_," Aidou added in a slight mutter, "we did _not _waste our time coming here only to go back without doing anything."

It was silent between all of us as we exchanged glances with one another. Al and I shared a mutual agreement about being against it, though his reason seemed to be different from mine. I had to ask him about it later on. When I looked at Cheryl, however, she didn't seem to be opposed to the idea. Her ocean orbs also screamed at me when I met them, and I didn't doubt that she and I would be having a long chat sometime soon. Kaito and Mana both looked hesitant, and I couldn't tell what Zero was thinking because his eyes were hidden under his strands of silver hair, yet he was the first one to break the silence.

"Blood bait," he answered calmly as he looked up and met her eyes squarely. There were no physical changes in their expressions, but the emotions that fluttered across their features were like whirlwinds. "We'd be luring them into magical traps used by hunters."

"Zero—"

"They won't leave until you lay it out for them," Zero interrupted me without taking his eyes off her. His words came off coldly, the implication of his words clear to everyone in the room: he wanted them gone.

Yuuki, however, seemed to have other ideas. "We don't plan to leave without lending all the help we can. We want to ensure the safety of the humans that live in this town."

"You plan to use blood as bait?" Ichijou asked, sounding somewhat surprised. His eyebrows knotted together as his eyes flickered over to us. "But..."

"We're fine." Al waved off the blonde's concerned eyes.

"Are you guys trying to go on a suicide mission?" Aidou asked, his fierce sapphire eyes falling onto us. "Not that _I_ have a problem with it, but I'm sure that there's no way that you're _that _stupid."

Cheryl scoffed, rolling her eyes. Flipping her light curls over her shoulder, she met his eyes defiantly. "I don't want to hear that from someone whose hair looks like a pile of yellow worms."

I almost choked when I heard her words. I stared at her with wide eyes, not quite sure how I felt toward her. I felt like I was worried about how much longer she had to live, but also admiring her guts to say such a thing to _Aidou_. I was sure that there was nobody out there, besides Kaname, who dared to insult him and his hair.

His eyes flashed with lightning. Almost threateningly, his lips pulled over his teeth to form a small snarl. "And you think _your_—"

"Aidou-senpai." Yuuki's voice sounded through the room. He already seemed to know what she wanted to say, as his facial expression contorted violently for a moment before he began struggling to look more tamed. It obviously took him a lot of effort to bite down what he wanted to say.

"Let's keep it civil," Kaito suggested to everyone, even though it was clear that he was directing this toward the two hot-headed blonds in the room.

"We still have things to discuss?" Zero's deep voice sounded bland, signaling his desire to end the conversation completely. It was evident that he was expecting it to end with Yuuki and the rest of the Night Class filing out of the Association and heading back to Cross Academy.

Mana spoke for the first time since I had entered the room. Looking at Yuuki with an air of inferiority around her, the onyx-haired hunter began hesitantly, "... It's immensely disrespectful to ask you to something like what we plan to do, Yuuki-san. As a Pureblood, perhaps it's better if you don't do such things."

Shaking her head, Yuuki disagreed kindly. "Why does being a Pureblood have anything to do with this? But if ranks _do_ play a role in the situation, then it's also my job to make sure that the vampire society is in line. _Because _I'm a Pureblood, I can't let things continue the way they are. It's also my responsibility, just as it is yours."

"If she wants to do it, why not let her?" Cheryl leaned against the back of the couch, crossing her arms. With her chin held high and her voice lined with its usual confidence, she said carelessly, "Mana, you're worried about her safety and what will happen if she gets hurt. But the thing is, it shouldn't matter. What happens to her isn't our problem if _she's_ the one who wants to do it. If the Purebloods or the other vampires get mad because she gets a scratch on her, then it's _their _problem. And if they decide it's got something to do with us, then fine. Bring them here. We aren't scared of them."

Aidou's voice was overwhelmed with barely suppressed anger and indignation. "Are you deliberately picking a fight, Armstrong?"

She didn't back down from his glacial, raging gaze. "I'm stating I'm ready for a fight if that's what it comes down to."

"What's this talk about fighting?" Kaito interrupted, sighing. He ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. "Cheryl, cool down a bit. We know your opinion on the matter, it's more like what everyone else thinks now."

"There's no way we can reach a decision at this point," Al pointed out. "We all know that it'd be beneficial to have their help _in this situation. _However, we're all looking at different things that aren't related. Mana's worried about how the vampires' higher-ups will respond. Kaito and Ivy, you two are worried about..." he paused, struggling to find a word. _"People_. _We're_ thinking deeper into things than they are. _They're _not worried about anything else besides the survival of the people here."

"So what are you saying?" Kaito asked lowly. "If I remember correctly, you're also objecting to her participation in this."

Al shook his head and clarified with a half-smile, "I'm against her going with _us_."

Blinking, the realization of what Al was saying dawned on me. "Oh."

"You understand, right?" Al looked down at me with a grin.

"Oh, yeah, because just 'cause Ivy understands, we all do." Cheryl rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Shut up, Cheryl. You know what I'm getting at, too. You have no right to complain," Al retorted, looking over my head at the taller blond.

"We're waiting," Kaito reminded us.

Glancing at the two sitting next to me, I supposed that I would be the one to explain. "Well, you already set up all the traps earlier today, right? You set them up in a way that would work if it was three of us who did it. It's not like it's a hard thing to go and set up another spot for Yuuki to participate, but the thing is that we need someone _here_, at the Association. It'll be irresponsible if all of us just left, since you guys had decided to come with us during the chase to the traps. Al's idea is that, rather than being one of the baits, she can stay here and help _this _way."

When I had returned with Zero, we had been informed of the plan they formulated while we were gone. It had been decided we were going to go with using blood to lure them into traps, but the one condition that Kaito and Mana had brought forth was the fact that we couldn't go alone. They wanted us to have someone with us while we were luring the vampires, since we had no idea how dangerous it would be. This way was safer, since we'd have our own "bodyguard" that'd have our backs and help us clear the way if any of them were to barricade us.

"That's not what I meant when I said—"

"You said you wanted to help in any way you can," Cheryl interrupted her. "This is how you can help: by staying here. It's not like there aren't going to be any vampires who ignore the scent of blood because they think the abundance of human blood is better. We need someone who will stay here with Mana and directly protect the humans if anything happens."

"And us?" Shiki inquired apathetically, his eyes sweeping across the room.

Kaito gave the maroon-haired model a glance. "If we do it this way, then it'd be preferable that you assist one of them." He jerked his chin to where the trio of EX5 sat.

"It _sounds _reasonable enough," Ichijou murmured agreeably. Upon seeing the look Yuuki shot him, he smiled sheepishly at her and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, Yuuki-chan, but Kaname asked me not to let you do anything too reckless. What Al-kun suggests seems to be a good plan for both sides."

At the name of the other Kuran Pureblood, Zero tensed while Yuuki flushed slightly. My lips thinned as I analyzed the two of them, wanting to sigh. When I thought about the love triangle they were tangled in, all I wanted to do was rip my hair out because it was so extraordinarily frustrating.

"If you exclude Yuuki-san and Omura-san, there are five of us who won't be playing 'bait,'" Shiki stated flatly, turning to look at us emotionlessly. "Yet there are three of you who are."

Before I could say anything, Cheryl already offered, "I'll be fine with just one person, if anyone at all. Out of all of us, Ivy chokes up the most."

"I'm not the one with the dislocated shoulder or the fractured leg," I retorted just as fast, giving them both very pointed looks.

"You're the one who got thrown around and clawed at." Al rolled his eyes.

"I could say the same for you," I shot back.

"As if _you _should be talking, Al," Cheryl snorted. "You should have seen yourself when that Level C smashed you into that light post."

Al's smile was sarcastic as he returned, "Don't think I didn't notice when that Level E threw you so hard that you broke through two houses."

"Do you have any right to be saying that when—"

Kaito sighed before clearing his throat loudly, catching everyone's attention. "Stop bickering, you brats. Nobody wants to hear about how badly you guys got beaten up."

"I think that Cheryl-chan should definitely have two people with her," Mana voiced aloud. "Having a fractured leg will influence how fast you can get away. Because of that, it's better if you have more backup to keep the vampires off of you."

"If I may have a say..." Ichijou trailed off. When we all looked at him encouragingly, his lips tilted up slightly to show his ease at our accepting looks. "I agree with what Omura-chan said."

"Don't even _try _to protest, Cheryl," Al told her when she opened her mouth. "You know that it's true. It doesn't matter how fast you can usually run. With that fractured leg, you're no faster than Ivy or I."

Kaito seemed to agree as well. "So _that's _decided." Turning his gaze toward Al and I, his hazel orbs narrowed as he scrutinized us carefully. Al grinned at him brightly, as if he was showing off how perfectly fine he was. He was purposely doing it excessively, something that only further proved he was feeling well enough to be as playful as he always was.

I rolled my eyes with a smile when I caught his eyes.

"Ivy," Kaito addressed. When I looked at him expectantly, he asked, "Are you sure that you're fine with just one person?"

Al immediately let out a noise of protest. "Hey, Kaito, didn't you see my amazing smile?"

"You're an idiot," came Kaito's response.

Laughing, I nodded my head at Kaito. Giving him a thumbs up, my teeth flashed. "I'll be fine."

"Satoshi's going to have your head if something happens to her," Al tried again. "And Lydia. Oh, God, Lydia will tear you to pieces. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?" I wanted to snicker when I heard my older sister's name, because it was undeniably true that she wouldn't hesitate to start a fight with Kaito.

"Stop complaining, Al, my ears are bleeding because of you," Cheryl said.

The exotic-eyed hunter gave her a less than amused look. "Coming from the person who yells more often than not, that's not very discouraging."

"Since _that's _been decided, I suppose we should get into specifics," Kaito sighed, sounding tired.

Halfway through the discussion about who would get who as a bodyguard, I ended up tuning their words out. Half of the time, Cheryl and Al would be bickering and the other half of the time, Aidou and Cheryl would be going at it. I had a feeling that it'd take a while to get everything concretely settled, and considering the fact that I didn't mind who I got as my companion, I didn't see a reason to give the conversation my undivided attention.

Or, rather, I _couldn't_.

Because during the discussion, my eyes managed to catch a certain silver-haired hunter's fingernails digging into his skin as he discreetly clutched at his neck.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

That concludes the latest chapter of Heterochromia! I hope that you guys enjoyed reading it half as much as I loved writing it. HOLY CRAP, THERE WAS SO MUCH ZERO IN THIS CHAPTER THAT I KIND OF DIED BECAUSE THAT MEANS THERE'S BOUND TO BE THE ISSUE OF BEING IN CHARACTER AND BEING OUT OF CHARACTER, AND THERE WAS SO MUCH OF HIM THAT I CAN'T EVEN- -breathes-

I apologize really deeply for any spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and OOCness that may have ( probably ) occurred! OTL.

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**Demonic Angel 7, Ronniriot, XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX, Yuna, Jade Starlight, Simplicity-Shitsuboku, xXMizukiXx, EvilBoyzR2Cute, Stargazer, Fangirling Duck, XxStargazingXxXWitchxX, and Tokine8696**

Thank you guys so much for your amazing and lovely reviews! You have no idea how much it means to me that you guys take the time to review! (:

Also, I'd like to thank everyone that favourited and alerted as well!

RESPONSES! WARNING: I PRACTICALLY REPLIED TO EVERY SINGLE REVIEW 'CAUSE THEY'RE SO AMAZING. SO IN SHORT, IT'S LONG.

To **Demonic Angel 7**;

ASDFGHJKL. THANK YOU! In all honesty, I need all the luck I can possibly get. LOL. Oh god, ME TOO. Tests and quizzes and piles and piles of homework and projects and I can't- WHY IS THIS SO MUCH HARDER THAN LAST YEAR? -DIES- I hope that you're doing alright with your studies! Try not to push yourself too hard; best of luck to you! FIGHTING! (:  
>HAHA, well, I hope that you enjoyed this update as well! THERE WAS SO MUCH ZERO AND IVY IN THIS, I CAN'T EVEN... But at this point, they're still just tentative comrades. JUST WAIT 'TIL SHE FALLS IN LOVE WITH HIM. ;D<br>Thank you so much for always supporting me! You have no idea how much it means to me. (:

To **XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX**;

You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that! LOL. I'm glad that you don't think Ivy is overpowered! (:  
>ASNDOBNOWEBEWEMP. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMPLIMENT! I'm sure that you would be able to write something even better than the stuff I just kinda blurb out! It just takes time and patience! Your writing is always improving even if you don't know it; you can probably top me easily. xP<br>Thank god you don't find any canons OOC and that my OCs are well developed... although the OOC thing might have changed with this chapter. LOL. -DIES- I'M SORRY IF I'VE DISAPPOINTED YOU.  
>Kenta probably won't be showing up anytime soon. ASNBOEWNAPBWBe. Since he's not involved with all the supernatural goodness of the story, he'll probably show up much... much... later. I MISS HIM TOO. T-T<br>I finally updated, so I hope that you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last! Thank you so much for sharing me your thoughts!

To **Yuna**;

I'm glad that you understand! No need to thank me for the explanation; I'm sorry that I wasn't very clear in the first place. HAHA.  
>Thank you so much for your praises, although I really don't think that I'm considered one of the top writers. HAHA. I'm glad that I was able to evoke such emotions in you; sorry if it dampened your mood! X.x<br>This chapter was lighter. Kind of. And had lots of Zero and Ivy in it, so I hope that you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for always supporting me, Yuna! (:

To **Jade Starlight**;

LMAO. Sorry, maybe that was a bit too cruel of a question. Predictions are always awesome things to have. I'm not sure if I want to surprise you or want to confirm your thoughts. XD  
>Thank you for thinking the chapter was awesome! I finally updated after a bit over a month, so I hope that this chapter full of Ivy and Zero together will make up for the tardiness! Jade Starlight, thank you SO much for your continuous support for me and this story; it means a lot. (:<p>

To **Simplicity-Shitsuboku**;

YOU. I love how you reviewed for every chapter you read and told me your thoughts for each one! It really touched me and I was glad to see that you took the time to do such a thing!  
>ABNOWNBWPEB. Thank you for getting somewhat worked up for me; it makes me feel fuzzy on the inside. It's not retarded at all! In fact, I'm rather happy that you're lending me your support even after all this time. It's really touching. (:<br>NWOEBNWOEAQWP. I hope that you can still say that I keep him in character after reading this chapter. LOL. THERE WAS SO MUCH OF HIM IN IT THAT I DON'T EVEN KNOW ANYMORE. I ended up rewriting his lines, like, twice. -DIES-  
>LMAOOO. I LOVE HOW YOU GUESSED HIS HAIR COLOUR BY HIS NAME. THAT'S HILARIOUS.<br>I'M SORRY. I tend to have walls of text. I apologize for destroying your eyes. T_T I love Arashi and Zero together, ahmygod, I can't... -sighs-  
>DOES THIS FANFIC LEAVE SUCH A DEEP IMPRESSION ON YOU? If it does, then... Well, <em>wow<em>. I'm so... touched and delighted and ecstatic. I mean, I really am. My heart kind of bubbled when I read that. I hope that this story doesn't end up disappointing you! ANBOENWPB.  
>Thank you for your amazing support and sharing with me all your thoughts! It means a lot to me. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter as much as the previous ones, and that I'll continue to have your encouragement and guidance! (:<p>

To **xXMizukiXx**;

I'M SORRY, LMAO. I realized that it was probably a mean thing to ask!  
>Yeah. I think I would've gotten really angry, but Mana was just kinda stunned at it since she's never seen Ivy get angry before. It surprised her. xD<br>HAHA, it's fine. There are lots of reasons why Cheryl acts the way she does; it'll be explained later on in the chapters. A lot of it has to do with Zero, though. But a lot of it is also just Ivy herself. xP  
>Cookies sound so lovely. ASDVSNBOEW.<br>Thank you! I'm dying. WHAT IS MATH AND PHYSICS? I CAN'T EVEN- I'm dying in those two classes. I'm not even kidding. I hope that you're not dying like I am. Good luck with you and your school life as well! FIGHTINGGGGG.  
>You're always supporting me! Thank you so much for your encouraging words and your loyalty; it means so much. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!<p>

To **EvilBoyzR2Cute**;

HEY THERE! It's nice to hear from you again! HAHA. Aww, thank you for taking the time to read through my other work! You're fabulous. (:  
>Oh gosh, I think that's going to be revealed A LOT later on in the story. I hope that you'll stick with me until then!<br>Thank you so much for your support, and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! ;D

To **Stargazer**;

YOU'RE FLATTERING ME. ASDFHJL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. -CRIES RIVERS-  
>I'm so glad that you think Ivy is likeable and not overpowered! It's something that I'm always worried about, and it's also one of my pet peeves when it comes to OCs. Thank god I'm not a hypocrite. LOL. I can't stomach Mary-Sues at all, and I always fret over my characters as a result. I'm so happy to have reassurance. ;_; And thank you! I'm glad that you think it's not awkward. The thing with VK is that there aren't many characters in it. I mean, if you take a look at other manga, they have, like, a million characters so you never really need to create your own. With VK though, the only hunters that you really know are Kaito, Yagari, Zero, and Kaien. That's practically it. So I'm always constantly having to create other OCs to create a hunter community. LOL. I'm happy to know that I integrate them all pretty decently into the story, though! I hope that you'll continue to think that when I introduce, like, 215646412 more of them. -SLAPPED-<br>Thank you! I'm glad that you think the plot is interesting. I try. ;D  
>OH GOD. I HOPE YOU CAN STILL SAY THE CHARACTERS ARE IN CHARACTER EVEN AFTER THIS CHAPTER. I MEAN, ZERO, HE... AND YUUKI, SHE... AND AIDOU, HE... -DIES-<br>ASDFGHJKL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR AMAZING REVIEW! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and that it didn't disappoint you! I hope to hear from you more often, Stargazer! (:

To **Fangirling Duck**;

LOOOOOOL. I read the first sentence in your review and I just burst out laughing. I love the way you put it. I'm sorry that I kept you up so late, though! ASDOBNWPB. If you had school the next day, HOW DID YOU SURVIVE?  
>LMAO. AHMYGOD. ABNOWEBMPqwe. I'M SORRY THAT IT WAS PRETTY ANTICLIMATIC. I mean, I probably could've made Ivy throw in a punch or something, but that wouldn't be like her to do so. BUT CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT? Ahmygod, I'm dying from laughing so hard. You're awesome. LOL.<br>THE ONLY REASON I UPDATED HETEROCHROMIA IN JUST A BIT OVER A MONTH IS BECAUSE THE LATEST CHAPTER CAME OUT. AND THEN I READ IT. AND THEN I WANTED TO FLIP TABLES. It's the ONLY reason that I was able to write this chapter in the amount of time that I did.  
>I can't stress this fact enough: I absolutely, without a doubt, a hundred million percent, HATE Yuuki. I hate her with a passion, I really do. I loathe her so much, I can't even express it properly. The latest chapter only made my hatred for her grow. I MEAN, HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT TO HIM? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? SERIOUSLY? I WANTED TO- -breathes-<br>I hate her. She doesn't deserve either Zero OR Kaname.  
>By the end of the manga, I hope she's left heartbroken as Zero and Kaname move on with their lives without her.<br>HATE HER.  
>Done. (:<br>I finally updated, so I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for making me whenever I read your review! (:

To **XxStargazingXxXWitchxX**;

THANK YOUUUU! Your compliments flatter me too much. Seriously. LOL. I'm glad that you think I put my OCs in there well. I mean, VK doesn't show a lot of hunters... so I have to create my own little community. I HOPE THAT YOU'LL STILL SAY THIS WHEN I PUT IN, LIKE, A MILLION NEW HUNTER OCS. -DIES- I apologize in advance for most likely making your eyes bleed.  
>Aww, thank you! I'm glad that you think Ivy is well-written. Out of all my OCs, she's definitely my favourite. She's probably the one that has the most depth to her, and the one that's the most complex; I think that's what makes her rather endearing and captivating, though. But then again, I'm the author and I'm super biased, so... ;D<br>PFFT. I'm sure that your OCs are just as amazing, if not even better. You probably just don't realize it yourself, since we all tend to be harder on our own work than we need to be.  
>I've already spammed you in a personal message, but.. THANK YOU. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. IT'S WONDERFUL. I CAN'T. THANK YOU. ANOEGBNWEOBNWOEB.<br>Ahmygod, I went back and fixed the "here" and "hear" thing. WHEN YOU MENTIONED IT, I WENT BACK TO CHECK AND GASPED IN HORROR. IT BOTHERED ME SO MUCH BUT I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO GO BACK AND FIX IT. T-T But now I have. ;D Thank you so much for pointing it out for me!  
>ROAR. I finally updated with a lot of Zero and Ivy goodness in this chapter, so I hope that you enjoyed it! THANK YOU FOR YOUR AWESOMENESS! I hope that I'll continue to have your amazing support and that I'll hear from you a lottttttttt! (:<p>

To **Tokine8696**;

LOL, I WAS EDITING THIS CHAPTER AND WAS JUST ABOUT TO SAVE AND UPDATE HETEROCHROMIA WHEN I SAW YOUR REVIEW! So I hurried to put it in!  
>I'm glad that you think it's one of the better VK fanfics out there; I'm quite flattered, to be honest. LMAO. I'm also happy to know that you find it interesting!<br>I updated... Like, ten minutes after you submitted your review. LMAO. So there wasn't much of a wait, yeah? (: Thank you so much for taking your tend to write me your thoughts! I really appreciate it! (: I hope that you enjoyed the latest updateeeeee!

-Wipes brow- PHEW, END OF MY LONG RESPONSES!

Yeah, guysssss. Lots of Zero and Ivy in this chapter. Actually, there's going to be a lot of Ivy and Zero in the upcoming chapters... But. -nods- YES. FINALLY.

A big thank you to those of you who answered the question I left you guys last chapter, although it was kind of unfair... LMAO. I think that this chapter's question will be easier. Sort of. I hope so. (:

**QUESTION: How smoothly do you think that the blood bait plan will go and why?**

I'm really curious to hear your predictions, so please feel free to tell me what you think! OH, BUT BEFORE YOU ANSWER, LET ME TELL YOU GUYS SOMETHING ABOUT THE NEXT CHAPTER.

_First off_, I'm pretty sure there's going to be something about Al. So for those of you who love him ( and most of you ADORE him, from what I've heard ) then please look forward to the next chapter!

_Secondly_, there's going to be a surprise at the end of the next chapter. YAY, SURPRISESSSS! You can interpret what kind of surprise it is in the way you want, but it may or may not affect your answer to the question. ;D

ANYWAYS. Yeah. Okay. LOL.

Love it? Hate it? Like it?

Drop me a review telling me your thoughts; I'd love to hear from you!

I'LL TRY TO UPDATE SOON!

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	15. Forsaken Worlds

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight or the characters. Vampire Knight belongs solely to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N:**

HELLO, MY LOVESSSSSSSSSSSS! It's only been a bit over a month since the last time I updated; can you believe it?! I think that Heterochromia is the only one of my fanfics that I've been able to consistently update every month!

Maybe that's because it's my favourite, but STILL!

... And also because VK updates monthly. Sort of. And whenever VK updates, y'all should _know _that I'm going to flip tables and write like a madwoman because I'm pissed as hell about what happened in the chapter. So yeah. TA-DA!

I managed to write this chapter within the month 'cause VK updated and I was so mad and- -breathes-

Hi. How are you guys? (:

HOW WERE YOUR HALLOWEEEEEEENS? Tell me all about them! I hope that you guys had a blast and that you guys were all safe!

AND HOLY SHIT. To those of you who are within the region of Hurricane Sandy? ASDFGHJKL. I HOPE THAT YOU'RE ALL OKAY. T_T I just hope that even if you're not living in those areas yourself but have relatives there, that they're okay. Or friends. I DON'T KNOW. I JUST HOPE THAT EVERYONE'S OKAY. ASDFANBOAWENBOWEANVPEWV. -FLIPS TABLES-

... Okay. I'll stop being I end up creating a super long author's note talking about how worried I am. BUT SERIOUSLY. I hope you guys are okay. x.x

Other than that, read on, lovelies!

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN;**

_"Forsaken Worlds"_

* * *

><p>Hours later, at around one in the morning, I coincidentally bumped into Zero while walking down the vacant, dimly lit corridors of the Association. At first I had been surprised, but when I took a closer look at him, I realized the reason why the young hunter was still awake.<p>

"Are you okay?" My voice was so quiet, it could have been mistaken for a whisper.

"Just fine," came his curt reply. Even so, in just those two mere words, one could hear how it sounded a bit breathless, a tinge strangled, a smudge agonized. His lips were pressed together into a tight line and pulled downwards, his posture rigid.

Shaking my head, I reached into the pocket of his overcoat that I had been carrying, thinking that I'd just put it in his room. I didn't exactly expect to meet him accidentally out in the hallway while on my way to return it, but I supposed that it worked for the better. Pulling out a vial of dark crimson liquid, I tossed it at him. He caught it instinctively, but it was evident that he wasn't pleased in the least.

"I found it in the inside pocket of my coat earlier today when I was doing the laundry. It's from a few days ago, when they first attacked Cross Academy," I told him with a slight smile. Giving him an apologetic look, I said, "Sorry. You probably need more than that since it's been so long."

Considering the fact that we'd known each over for over a month now, Zero had long gotten past rejecting my blood. He wasn't pleased in the least about taking it, and I knew that it was one of the reasons he hated having me around since I would never let it go, but he had stopped refusing it like he initially did. Even so, when the topic of it was ever directly brought up, the air would always thicken.

He also understood the second part of my apology—I couldn't give him anymore than that right now unless he was willing to wait and watch me as I reopened a wound. "It's fine."

"Do you think you'll be okay?" I asked him, watching as he unscrewed the small cork that was preventing the blood from spilling out. As a vampire who never really suffered from intense thirst due to my illness, I couldn't even begin to understand the pain of having a burning throat and an everlasting hunger that couldn't be quenched.

Reaching into the pocket of his pants, he pulled out his black box of tablets and, tilting his head back, dumped the remaining pills into his mouth. They crunched loudly as he chewed once, and as they began to immediately dissolve, he drank the red crimson to wash it all down. When he finished and looked at me, his lavender eyes looked more ruby than amethyst, but he seemed to be in control of himself.

"I thought," he tossed the now vacant vial back at me, "that I told you your concern for me is annoying."

"It's different, though," I retorted softly. "This was so unexpected." Staring up into his eyes and taking note of how the crimson was already starting to slowly fade, I murmured, "Don't think that I didn't see what you were doing earlier."

He didn't let anything show on his face. Saying something that he often said to me, he advised me lowly, "You should stop this."

My eyes met his solidly, no trace of a joke dancing across my features. "No."

"It's horrible." But with the way he looked at me as he said this, it was clear that he wasn't talking about how _I _was the atrocious one. Although he was speaking about himself in such a way, there was nothing but sincerity in his tone. The genuine disgust he had for himself, the contempt, the hatred—it was all woven into his voice like lace.

Shaking my head, I disagreed, "No, it's not."

"Are you an idiot?" came Zero's fierce, quiet response. "You say it almost as if you truly believe it."

"That's because I do," I answered. Sighing as his eyes narrowed into a mild glower and his scowl deepened, I said, "Zero, what exactly is so horrible about craving for blood? You need it to survive. It's what keeps you alive. The fact that you drink blood to feed is no different than how we slaughter animals and eat them. Survival of the fittest, the law of the jungle... This is how the world works, Zero. Actually, what you're doing right now is better, because at least you don't _kill _what you're feeding from. Do you tear yourself up so much about this because you're valuing human life?" After a pause, I locked my eyes with his as I stated, "You're always hating yourself for drinking blood from humans. You differentiate vampires and humans so distinctly, but Zero... if you apply that to humans and animals, what's so different? What makes what humans do any more acceptable than what vampires do? Because humans are apparently a more superior race?" I shook my head.

He always hated himself. He always thought that he wasn't worthy enough to live, wasn't good enough for her, wasn't _human_. He spent so much time loathing himself, carrying this enormous burden on his chest that didn't _need _to be there. He didn't understand. Vampires and humans were surely different, but if the reason he was so hung up on being a vampire was because he thought he was tainting human lives, then what did that make humans, who mass-slaughtered other animals for our own survival? What about the piles and piles of horrible things that humans have done throughout the centuries?

Silence lasted for fifteen heartbeats as our eyes remained trained on one another's. We tried to assess each other, tried to find the right words to say to counter each other. We tried to read each other, but when I looked at him, all I felt was an ache in my chest and sorrow swallowing me whole.

Unable to take it anymore, I broke the eye contact between us. Lightly tossing him his folded overcoat and one of my extra packet of blood tablets that I had yet to open, I swiveled on my heels and began to walk away. "I'll see you later, Zero."

"It's—"

Already knowing what he wanted to say, I stopped where I was and shook my head roughly again. Turning to look over at him over my shoulder, our eyes clashed together once more as I cut him off. Unsmiling, my voice was almost inaudible as I murmured, "Why... is there no guilt in being 'human'?"

And after staring at him for another second as the words sunk in, I turned and walked away.

* * *

><p>Trying to calm my jittering nerves as I approached the hallway that I dreaded to turn into, I inhaled deeply. I attempted to force away the glacial hand of trepidation as it clutched at my spine, or the way the hair at the back of my neck nearly bristled and stood on end. My heart automatically started skipping beats, my throat getting more parched. My entire body was tense, my senses on high alert even though I knew that nothing could possibly happen now.<p>

Even though I knew this, all I wanted to do was turn back around and run away from there.

Mentally steeling myself, I turned the corner swiftly into the corridor that I resented before I could back out. My eyes automatically locked onto the figure that sat, legs sprawled out in front of him and resting back onto his palms, directly ahead of the large wooden doors that didn't have handles. It was exactly the same as that night with Zero—it evoked the same emotions inside me. It made me want to do anything to get away from there.

But I knew that I couldn't.

The chocolate-haired vampire didn't even turn to acknowledge my presence. He remained motionless, staring straight at the doors with his exotic eyes. A dark aura surrounded him, but a heavy atmosphere always seemed to linger around here. Around us.

Wordlessly, I walked over to where he was sitting on the smooth, cool tiles. Fighting the urge to clap my hands over my ears and to shut my eyes, I forced myself to sit down next to him. Pulling my knees up to my chest, I wrapped my arms around my legs and leaned against him, resting my head on his shoulder. I had to remind myself that I was awake, that this was reality. I had to remind myself that I had to be on guard—that no matter what, I would have to stop those memories from resurfacing.

Al, although not moving away from the direction he faced, tilted his head to rest lightly against mine. He broke the silence as he spoke quietly in his husky bass harmony. "Why are you here, Ivy?"

I didn't dare stare ahead so boldly at the entrance like he did. With my eyes fixated on the tops of my knees, I murmured, "Cheryl told me you've been here for a long time."

He let out a second's worth of a chuckle, but it didn't sound as bright as it could have. _Should have._"What, has she been missing me lately?"

Shaking my head slightly, slowly, I warned him softly, "You know what it's like. We're always scared. Always lonely without each other." It had been one of the few things we had all established—the fact that we always felt somewhat forlorn without each other. We felt alone. Isolated. It was because we were so different from everyone else, because we didn't have a place to really fit in.

So in the end, the only place that we could go back to where we felt like we _belonged_, like we weren't outcasts, was each other. We were one another's home.

Al remained silent. He knew that what I said was true. We could be surrounded with hundreds of people that knew us, but we'd still have that sense of desolation. A feeling of being lonesome, like we weren't meant to be there.

I let the stillness between us drag on for a few moments as we both drowned ourselves in our memories. I knew that my perspective was quite unfair, because I _did _have a true family that always stuck by me. I had blood relatives to fall back onto. They should've been the people I called home, and they were. But the home that they provided me was different than the sanctuary that EX5 gave me. I knew that if I was forced to pick which one meant more to me, I wouldn't be able to do it.

Refusing to think more about it, I swept the silence away as I asked him warily, "...Why are you here, Al?"

"You already know why," he responded quietly.

"I do," I agreed. But that wasn't it. I knew why he was here, but I wanted to understand. I wanted to know why he kept doing this to himself—kept destroying himself again and again. Purposely letting everything inside of him get torn apart. "But you know I didn't mean it that way."

He took a second to gather his thoughts and answer. His tone was solemn, matching the look that was on his face. It was one of the rare times that Al looked the way he did—he was always cheerful, happy, teasing. It was hard to get Al to look serious or get angry over anything, because even if things hit him hard, he never let it show. Yet, as he sat beside me, his happiness was drained. His orange gems looked hollow, his hair dull, his skin lifeless. He looked like he was someone who had just lost everything.

"I come here," he started slowly in a barely audible voice, "to remind myself that what happened... is _real_." His eyes dropped from the doors, falling onto the floor. He let more of his weight rest on me, but I didn't mind. "Sometimes, I feel like it was a dream. I nearly delude myself into thinking it is. Coming here, seeing this again—my body automatically remembers all that happened. I snap out of anything I had been hoping for when I come here. It stops me from wishing for something that I know will never happen. It destroys any wishes and any dreams. I need that, Ivy. I need to be reminded that I live in reality." His voice was vacant except for the raw agony he felt. The pain and despair was weaved into every word he said, the misery imprinted into every syllable he spoke. It was moments like these where Al looked the most fragile, the most breakable.

Closing my eyes, I could only wrap an arm around his broad shoulders and pull him closer to me. In a strained voice, I said quietly, "There are other ways to do that, Al. You don't need to put yourself through this again and again and again." The pure pain that stabbed straight through Al would only be understandable to EX5. It was something that nobody else could even possibly touch in comprehension. They didn't understand it. Maybe something similar had happened to them in the past, but it was different.

Because we all knew. Because we all could've stopped it.

The sound that left Al's lips was intended to be a short laugh, but it sounded like a strangled choke instead. "I know, but I—I _can't_. Every time I'm here at this building, I feel compelled to come here. It's like I'm under a spell, Ivy. No matter how hard I try to resist, I still find my feet carrying me here. It's like I need to sit here and show her how much it hurt me. How much it still hurts. Almost as if by visiting this place, I can remind her that I haven't forgotten her. It shows her how much I regret it, how much I wish I could take it all back."

My heart clenched inside my chest upon hearing his words. I had always known that Al carried so much on his shoulders—inside his heart—even if he didn't show it. I was sure that everyone in EX5 knew, since we had all drank blood from one another at some point in our lives, but I doubted Al had ever said something like this aloud to anyone. I didn't believe that anyone could have understood his pain, even through the memories full of emotions his blood gave us. Hearing him speak, listening to him as he breathed out words that were coated in torment, it seemed to impact me ten times harder than before.

Before I could stop them, tears had already blurred my vision. The ache in my heart began to throb even more prominently as I thought back to her beautiful, bright smile and her supportive words. She had always been there for us. She had always stood by our side. "Do you think she's happy with that, Al? She wouldn't want us here, torturing ourselves with memories of the past. She'd want us to move on."

"I don't deserve it," Al whispered. His voice was scratchy, but I knew that he wasn't crying. Al never cried in front of others.

The only exception had been that one single time.

I would never forget that day. The look of pure, raw agony that was on his face. The way his eyes had lost all their fight, the way his exotic orbs reflected how it felt to have his heart ripped apart. Everything about that day had been engraved into my mind as clear as crystal. It was unforgettable, the way the tears had escaped him as he struggled. As he tried to scream, but nothing came out of his mouth. The way he looked like all he wanted to do was let the world crash and crumble in front of his eyes.

My heart felt like it was breaking all over again, just like that day.

Pain prickled the back of my eyes, and I struggled to keep myself together. I removed my arm from around Al's shoulder, dragging my hands down my face and letting them stay there, acting as a mask. "She wouldn't want you to blame yourself forever."

Finally, Al turned his head away from the door to look over at me. It was almost as if he knew. Without moving his head off of mine, he reached out and touched the back of my hands. His fingertips were so gentle, they could have been a kiss from the wind. It only made my heart hurt more, my mind scream louder.

There was a sad smile in his voice as he murmured, "Why are you crying?"

"I'm not," I strangled out. But I really, really wanted to.

"Ivy..." He pulled my hands away from my face as he turned to face me. His figure was blurry through the unshed boats of tears in my eyes, and I blinked hard to keep them from falling.  
><em><br>I'm _not_ going to cry, _I told myself ferociously.

Shaking my head fiercely, I released a large exhale that sounded like it'd turn into a sob. I had to remind myself to breathe, to not cry. I had to stay strong for him. "I'm so sorry, Al... I'm so sorry."

Al's eyes burned into the top of my head. He reached out and rested one of his pale hands over my fisted one, almost as if he was trying to comfort me even though it should have been the other way around. "It's not your fault, Ivy."

Once again, I could only shake my head. He was being kind. Al was benevolent—all of them were. Because no matter how much pain I had caused them, they didn't hold it against me. They didn't blame me for any of it even though it was always my fault. It was like this with Trance's situation, too—people often overlooked the fact that it had been because of me.

The _fact _that it had been my fault.

"I can't..." My voice broke. "If I could, Al, I'd do anything to bring her back for you... I can't even—no amount of apologies could _ever _express how sorry I am..." My heart seemed to be pounding in my throat, preventing me from swallowing. Something tore at my internal organs. My mind felt like it was being burned from the inside out with memories I had promised to keep locked away. I blinked my eyes hard, trying to push back the fresh wave of tears.

Resting his warm hand on the top of my head, Al ruffled my hair and then pulled me into his chest. He let his chin fall down to sit on my shoulder, his spare hand lying on the floor next to us. "I know, Ivy. But you need to understand that what happened that day—what occurred back then, and what still takes place now, isn't your fault. You can't be sure that if things had changed and you weren't there, that it wouldn't have happened."

"I don't understand," I told him honestly as I struggled to breathe in properly. My voice wavered violently as I said, "I don't know how you can hold me like this. _You're _the one who's supposed to cry. She meant so much to you, Al."

"She did," he agreed softly. "She meant a lot to everyone, I think." The affection was layered in his voice, even after all this time.

"Do you... talk to her?" I asked him hesitantly, lifting my head up to look at him through my watery eyes. I didn't want to turn it into my own pity party, where he would try to comfort me for feeling the way I did. I wanted it to be about Al. I wanted to do everything I could to make _him _feel better.

Al shook his head slowly, his eyes fluttering off to the side. "I... can't ever find the right words to say. I can't express how I feel with something as inaccurate as words."

"Try," I encouraged him. Wiping at my eyes with the back of my hands to clear my vision of the tears that hadn't fallen, I chanted inside my head that I could cry later. I could wallow in my own misery later. "Imagine that she was here with you. What would you say to her?"

Repeating his action just a few seconds ago, he replied in a strangled voice, "I can't."

"Al," I said as firmly as I could. His unusual but breathtaking orange eyes clashed with my own topaz and emerald ones. Staring into his orange orbs, I could see how torn he was over this.

I wondered if my eyes always looked like that, too.

"Maybe this will make you feel better. Just say whatever comes to your mind. Whatever you want to tell her most." I placed my spare hand on top of his, which still rested over mine. I clutched at it tightly, as if it would be enough to support him from falling apart at the seams.

"She's not buried here, Ivy," he reminded me in a whisper.

"I know," I responded just as quietly. "But it shouldn't matter where we are if she's always been watching over you, right? We don't need to be at her grave for her to hear you." When I swallowed, the lump in my throat nearly suffocated me. My heart was crying rivers, but I didn't let anything slip from my eyes.

Seeing the look on my face, Al breathed in deeply. "Okay." He turned to face the door again and shut his eyes as he tried to piece everything in his mind together. The silence between us stretched on as he remained unmoving, absorbed in his own thoughts. I could only watch him carefully, hopefully. I blocked out everything else in my mind—I tried to ignore the way my recollections from the past were scratching at the recesses of my mind.

After a long, long moment, Al opened his eyes slowly. He didn't speak right away. He merely stared at the large double doors with his barely lit eyes. Eventually, after a few more heartbeats, he breathed in again, almost like he was gathering his courage. There was a softness in his eyes that mixed with the pain that matched his voice. There was tenderness and affection in every fibre of his being, interweaving with the agony and despair.

Even though I wanted to close my eyes, cover them, or run away, I remained rooted in my spot, unable to stop the sounds of our hearts shattering bit by bit.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing Al said. But even though those two words were spoken so often, the sheer amount of unrefined emotion he put into them made them sound like words of a new language. His eyes fell a bit, but they remained fixated on the oak entrance. "I couldn't protect you even though it was the first promise I ever made to you. I'm so sorry. If I could go back and do it all again, even if it meant I wouldn't be here, I would. You are... one of the best things... that _ever_ happened to me." Al's voice wavered at the ends of his words, his hands clenching into fists so tight that they were white at the knuckles.

I couldn't help but notice that they trembled.

Shaking his head, Al unfurled one of his hands stiffly and ran it haphazardly through his messy hair. Letting his head fall back to stare up at the high ceiling, he took another few minutes before he could speak again. But when he did, I could feel my throat automatically closing and tightening, my eyes burning. Because everything in that sentence—his words, the way he said it, the tone of his voice—_everything_... was so _real_.

"I'll never forget you. Thank you so much..." his voice shook, and he swallowed loudly. "I love you, Violet."

Then a single tear fell from the corner of his eye like a shooting star.

* * *

><p>"Look at all of them, clawing away at the invisible barrier like that," Cheryl said in disgust as we looked down at the enormous mob of vampires that had gathered around the Association building as they tried to tear down the wards. There were so many of them that I was positive the number exceeded over sixty, which meant that, if divided evenly, each of us would have over twenty of the vampires tailing after us.<p>

"I don't see any more of them stumbling in through town to join the mob," Al commented easily as he rested his forearms on my head and used me as an armrest, his forced weight causing me to hunch forward slightly. He had reverted back to his usual self after we left the hallway. It was almost like it had never happened in the first place, but I knew that it wasn't a dream. Al and I were alike—we didn't want anyone to concern themselves with us and our personal business. We liked to pretend that things never happened or that things were fine—that way, nobody could shatter us.

Kaito glanced out the enormous window, his hazel eyes immensely solemn as he caught sight of the numerous pairs of glowing crimson eyes that seemed to shine through the darkness of the night. Turning to the rest of us, he inquired, "Is everyone ready?"

"What does it look like?" Al half grinned, half smirked.

"Can we hurry this up?" Cheryl asked in return, folding her arms across her chest. Frowning, she said, "I need my beauty sleep."

"You sure need it," Aidou muttered under his breath.

"I _heard _that," came Cheryl's biting response as she glowered fiercely at the aristocrat.

"We're ready," Yuuki confirmed for her troops, her delicate doll-like face set into a grave expression. Her wide, doe-like eyes weren't sparkling like they usually did, but they didn't seem dull at all.

Nodding, Kaito reconfirmed, "Everyone knows the plan?"

"Kaito." I rolled my eyes at him with a smile. "Stop checking with us. We know what we're all going to do."

"Right," Kaito answered in a mocking tone, shooting me a disapproving look. "Alright. Cheryl, Ichijou, we're heading to the southeast section of the Association."

"Please be careful," Ichijou told us all. Solemnity lined his features and his voice, but his eyes were full of gentle assurance as he met all of ours. He believed that we were all strong enough to get past it without any troubles, and he was showing encouragement through his confidence.

"You as well, Ichijou-san," Shiki returned in his apathetic voice. Yet when the two vampires' eyes met, somehow their close friendship was so clear.

"Take care, Ichijou!" I beamed at him, waving. I didn't doubt his abilities in the least. He had his traditional katana slung over his broad shoulder. I had been surprised at first, because I didn't really think it fit his image. He was such a gentle and kind person, it was hard to imagine him swinging a katana around, but the more I thought about it, I suppose it suited him.

Cheryl slapped me hard on the back as she passed me to walk toward where Kaito stood, half-turned and waiting for the rest of his crew. When I looked up and shot her a displeased look, she shot me an even more discontented glower.

In a menacingly sweet voice, she said, "We're going to have a _long _chat when we're back, Ivy."

"I know," I sighed in defeat, watching as her long gold curls bounced behind her. I already had an idea about what it would be about as well, and I _really _wasn't looking forward to that conversation.

Al grinned at her. "Am I included in that conversation with you two?"

She barely flicked him a glance. "Shut up, Al."

He faked a hurt expression at her response, but he was smiling tenderly at her back as she left. It made me chuckle, causing him to look at me with raised eyebrows.

Right before Ichijou turned his back to us to catch up with Kaito and Cheryl, he turned to Yuuki and smiled at her sheepishly. "Please don't do anything reckless, Yuuki-chan."

"I know, Ichijou-senpai," she reassured him with a soft smile of her own. She waved to him as we watched the tall vampire swivel around and trot quickly after the two others that he would be working with for the night.

Al stretched his body for a moment, yawning. "We should probably head to the southwest exit now, too."

I hit him in the shoulder, chiding lightly, "Don't try too hard acting cool that you drop your guard, Al."

"Not going to happen," he answered. He reached out, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me toward him in a tight hug. Burying his head into the crook of my neck, he mumbled something in a nearly inaudible voice. My ears barely caught his words, but once they comprehended in my mind, I couldn't help but tighten my hold around his frame.

It was so rare of Al to express such a thing.

I could feel his lips quirk up into a slight smile, and after another heartbeat, he pulled away. Planting a kiss on the top of my head, he grinned at me. "Don't worry about me too much that you end up slipping, Ivy."

Scrunching up my nose at him, I mimicked his answer from earlier. "Not going to happen."

He let out another husky chuckle. His eyes remained trained onto mine until the last second as he turned away, his unbuttoned dark navy overcoat flying behind him.

Although Shiki didn't say anything, the fact that he turned and looked at us was enough. He got his message across to all of us without any words at all. Something about him, although so emotionless, seemed so expressive at the same time. The maroon-haired model followed after Al with his hands in his pockets, his back straight.

"Don't do something that would make Kaname-sama mad," Aidou warned Yuuki with his arms crossed. Rounding on Mana, he cautioned her fiercely, "You better be careful!"

"I will," Mana reassured him steadily. She didn't flinch back under his intense electric orbs, something that both surprised me as well as flooded me with pride.

"Aidou-senpai!" Yuuki exclaimed in a reprimanding tone. "Don't scare Mana-san like that! You should be on your way or else you'll hold up Al-san and Shiki-senpai."

"Tch." Aidou gave Yuuki one last frown laced with a warning before turning on his heels and heading after the other two.

I smiled at his back. "Take care, Aidou!"

He stiffened at the sound of my voice, but he didn't stop. In an annoyed voice, he hollered out, "Your face better not get any worse, Tashiro! My eyes hurt enough already!"

Needless to say, I burst out into laughter. "I'll try!"

"Yuuki-san, we should head up to the highest floor," Mana murmured, glancing over to the brunette Pureblood.

"Alright," she agreed. The brunette beauty turned her wide crimson eyes to us and said sombrely, "Please be careful out there." And even though she spoke it in general to both Zero and I, I had a feeling that it was directed more at the silver-haired hunter than me.

He met her eyes with his own ones that were invisibly cracked. He didn't respond to what she said, but after staring at her for another moment, he turned away. His footsteps were practically silent as he glided over the smooth marble.

"I'm counting on you, Zero."

I watched as his form stopped and his footsteps ceased. His body was rigid, his hands hidden in the pockets of his coat. I had no doubt that they were clenched into tight fists. For a moment, I thought that he would turn around and look at her, or that he'd reply. She was staring at his back with her saddened ruby orbs, waiting for something from him. There were so many emotions in her eyes, I couldn't even begin to decipher any of them. It made me wonder how he looked, too.

Within another second, his footsteps sounded again as he walked away without another word.

Something inside my chest hurt. It was so tragic to watch them. Everything about them seemed so depressing, so heartbreaking. Yet, as I turned around and met the Pureblood's eyes with my own, I couldn't help but feel a brief flash of fire inside of me. My lips pressed into a tight line that tugged downwards at the corners. She stared right back at me with her unknowing eyes, and I couldn't bring myself to say a single thing. Or, rather, I felt like there could be no words to describe how I felt or what I thought. So instead, I closed my eyes and turned away from her silently.

As I descended down the stairs, I couldn't help but run a hand through my hair in faint agitation. I wasn't sure why I was so irritated, though—was it because of their catastrophic relationship that always seemed suffocating, or was it because of how I was acting? I should have said something before I left—something like, "be careful" or "take care." Something standard. Well, actually, _anything_ would've been fine as long as I had said _something_.

But my dark feelings had been in control at that moment, preventing me from speaking.

I sighed as I got to the last step, quickly making my way down the hall to the foyer. Zero was leaning against one of the walls as he waited, his arms folded across his broad chest and his shoes already worn on his feet. His lavender eyes flickered over to me as I entered the spacious area, but he remained silent. I didn't say anything as I began to securely put on my combat boots, but it was simply because I didn't know where to start or what to say.

As I finished lacing up my footwear, I straightened myself and, after inhaling, blew out the air loudly through my lips. I pulled the long sleeve of my overcoat up so that I could look at the watch I was wearing. "A minute left before our operation commences."

"I know." Zero pushed himself off of the wall, his hand reaching into his long trench coat to pull out Bloody Rose.

Glancing over at him, I commented, "I'd say something like, 'Please take good care of me' or 'I hope we work well together,' but then it wouldn't mean anything since you've had my back for the past few days."

He caught on that there was more to it than that. After a short pause, he prompted in a sigh, "... And?"

"And I realize that it's different this time."  
><em><br>Thirty-five seconds.  
><em>  
>My fingertips brushed against Rixelvelt's small restricted form as a scythe, and without hesitating, I broke her off from the silver bracelet. Moving toward the door, I unlocked it and opened it, allowing us to see the massive mob of vampires that were clawing at the invisible barrier. "These past three days, you, Kaito, and Mana have been watching our backs. You guys were the ones who shot down all the vampires who came at us during moments that we were off guard or were weak. We relied on you guys to do that. It's not the same this time, though, because even though you're acting as my 'bodyguard' and you have my back... You should also realize something else."<br>_  
>Ten, nine...<br>_  
>Turning to face him, I smiled at the silver-haired hunter."This time, <em>I<em> also have _your_ back."  
><em><br>Eight..._

I turned back to face the front, blinking my eyes. Taking a step out the door so that I stood out on the front steps of the building, yet was still inside the wards, I took a moment to assess all the glowing red eyes that stared hungrily, crazily, back at me.  
><em><br>Six...  
><em>  
>I felt Zero move in behind me, his figure towering over mine from the back. Shifting Rixelvelt over to my left hand, I tilted it so that the smaller blade grazed the inside of my right forearm. Inhaling deeply, I gritted my teeth and with one swift motion, slammed the blade into my skin and raked it down the length of my forearm. Pain instantly exploded from the spot, the agony created from an anti-vampire weapon hurting a million times more than a normal human weapon did. Instantly, the deep wound began to squirt out dark crimson, and the bloodthirsty vampires seemed to get wilder.<br>_  
>Two...<em>

And although the pain from the wound hurt, the amount of anguish I felt was absolutely _nothing_ compared to _that_.  
><em><br>One.  
><em>  
>As the clock's second hand struck the number three on the clock, our feet immediately left the ground that we had been standing on. Our timing had been perfect and instantaneous—there had been no delay whatsoever.<p>

At the last second, just as I was about to leave the safety of the Association's wards, my legs propelled me up for a long, high jump. Zero and I soared over the mob of vampires, landing on a house's rooftop a few meters away from the outer ring of the bloodthirsty mass. It didn't take long for them to turn around and begin their hunt for us.

The silver-haired hunter and I ran with both speed and accuracy, never picking paths that led to dead ends. We never tripped over unexpected things or stumbled. The adrenaline pumped through me as we ran. I could hear the loud and indiscreet sounds of the vampires following us, their hisses, howls, and threats ringing like weddings bells in the night.

As we ran down a wide, dark, and damp alleyway, I sensed a vampire a few steps ahead. Already predicting what was going to occur, by the time the vampire had jumped out in front of me, I already had Rixelvelt ready. It didn't even take a second for that vampire to turn into dust. I could hear shots going off, some of them Zero's, some of them quite far away. While I could smell and feel Zero right behind me, the scent of his blood didn't fill the air, so I was sure he was unscratched.

Everything seemed to be going pretty well, but we had definitely underestimated their speed. Although we had all been in combat with Level E vampires before, we never had to engage in battle with ones that were deprived of blood so badly. And they would never have been tempted with the smell of any blood that would've smelt remotely similar to ours. It was because of this that we didn't know just how fast they could run as they desperately tried to catch us.

At the moment, they were gaining on us—in fact, some of them had actually gotten ahead. When Zero and I rounded a corner sharply—almost crashing into the buildings with our speed—we were greeted with a small group of vampires waiting for us with eager expressions. They were all Level E vampires, but every second spent destroying them was a second that left us hindered. It closed the distance between us and the other pack of vampires right behind us.

Zero took out the two Level Es in the front with his Bloody Rose, not missing even slightly from the center of their heart. I swiped at the other two with Rixelvelt, but one of them had jumped out of the way. He lunged toward me with his claws outstretched. Unfazed, I merely blocked the sharp talons and then shot an arm out, smashing his face into the building wall, completely crushing his skull.

Needless to say, he turned to dust.

I looked behind me to get a better visual in my mind about how we were doing. My eyes darted up to see a Level C vampire perched on a broken window ledge. Her lust-filled eyes met mine, but when she threw herself off of the sill with her claws and fangs out, it wasn't _me _who she was aiming for. Surprised at her target, I grabbed the lapel of Zero's trench coat and roughly yanked on it, pulling him forward. The sound of her claws and Rixelvelt clashing sounded through the air before I pushed her back. The tips of her claws missed his shoulder by just an inch, but they managed to scratch my collarbone lightly. Not waiting until she recovered from her stumble over a trashcan, I decapitated her mercilessly.

I slashed through three other Level Es' bodies with the wide, main, and deadly sharp blade of my scythe, Zero's Bloody Rose shooting through two other vampires' heads. Hastily turning around, because I knew that we couldn't engage in battle unless absolutely necessary, I reached out to grab onto Zero's wrist, forcefully dragging him along with me as I fled.

"That was uncalled for, Tashiro," Zero said, just a step behind me.

I turned to look at him over my shoulder, laughing despite the situation we were in. "I told you that I had your back this time, right?"

His eyes met mine for just a moment. Looking over his shoulder, he didn't reply to what I had said, but instead urged calmly, "Faster."

We picked up our pace, weaving through buildings and narrow streets. My blood from the wound I had created splattered all over the floor, creating a trail. The thick red liquid had eventually dripped down onto my hand, and I had smeared it all over Rixelvelt's shaft. I glanced worriedly over at Zero, wondering if he was holding up okay with so much blood in the air.

Pain dressed his features, but he hid it well.

"Sorry, Zero," I apologized to him as we skidded around a corner. "It must hurt."

"Watch where you're going," was his retort as he grabbed onto my arm and tugged me closer to him to avoid a deep pothole that I had nearly stepped into.

"Thanks," I breathed, my heart pounding in my ears. We were almost at the place where the traps had been all set up. Just another six blocks and we would reach our designated area. We had almost covered half of that distance when pain hit my chest.  
><em><br>No, _my mind whispered, horrified. _Not right now. Please.  
><em>  
>But of course, it didn't listen to me. The process wasn't halted in the slightest as the resonating feeling inside my chest sounded. It was quiet at first, but it quickly began to get stronger and stronger.<p>

I squeezed my eyes shut, my left hand automatically coming up to clutch at the spot over my heart. Despite knowing that the pain was going to hit me any second, I kept on running. It only took another heartbeat before the excruciating anguish flooded through me. Once more, the indescribable sensation that hurt more than being burned alive had overwhelmed me enough to make me stagger and nearly trip over my own two feet. My hand slammed into the wall as I caught myself before falling flat onto my face. I took a sharp intake of breath before I forced myself to keep moving.

"Tashiro?" Zero's smooth voice, tinted with just a smudge of alarm, sounded distant in my ears.

Switching hands, I brought my already bloodstained hand up to cover my mouth as I coughed. The warm liquid splattered all over my hand, so abundant in amount that a large quantity of it just fell like a river to the floor. I gasped for air, feeling as if I couldn't breathe, but the blood only got stuck in my throat. I ended up coughing some more, more body wracking with it. I felt Zero's hand on my shoulder, but I shook my head without being able to hear what he said.

"Keep going," I strangled out as I forced my body to keep running. My legs shook as I placed one foot in front of the other. My vision began to get fuzzy, and we only made it a few more meters before the pain was too unbearable. Incapable of withstanding the immense agony this attack brought onto my body, I would've fallen straight into a puddle on the floor if Zero hadn't caught me.

He didn't even hesitate to swipe his arms under my knees and the back of my shoulders. With immense ease, he lifted me up bridal style and continued down our marked path, his speed not hindering the slightest. His eyebrows were pulled over his grave eyes, his scowl looking deeper and darker than before.

I curled into myself as another stab of pain pierced through my body. "S-Sorry, Zero. I didn't—" Before I could continue, another wave of agony ripped through me, and my body wracked with coughs once more. The blood dripped down from my hand to stain my black trench coat, the cloth of my jacket being soaked within seconds.

"Shut up," came Zero's glacial response. He didn't look down at me even once as he ran, his tresses of silver hair flying from his speed. We had entered a clearing that held a water fountain in the center, only a block away from where we needed to be, when they surrounded us.

Even through the pain that fogged my mind and the black spots that dotted my vision, I knew that there was no way Zero could possibly get out of this situation when he had to keep me safe. His eyes seemed to darken as they darted around us.

Wordlessly, Zero shifted how he carried me. Rather than carrying me bridal style, I now sat on his bent arm. His hand gripped onto one of my legs to secure me, and my arms automatically went around to clasp his neck. I was surprised that he didn't put me down, but then I realized it was because he knew that the vampires would somehow manage to separate us.

"Just... let me down..." I managed to gasp out before turning my head away from him and coughing more blood out. I winced as the agonizing ache in my body flared, and one of my hands came up to clutch at my throat. It was so tight, so closed, I felt like I was unable to get any oxygen into my lungs.

Zero, like I had expected him to, ignored me. With one of his hands now free, he didn't even hesitate to point Blood Rose at the vampires in our way. During the moments in which the anguish didn't fade everything else away, I was able to experience just how skilled Zero was. Despite having to carry me, which was sure to be tough already, he was still so amazingly fast. He never missed his target. He was able to predict their movements and find a way to make it work to his advantage.

I noticed, after a while, that the vampires seemed to be crazier than before. At first, I was perplexed as to why, but the reason became clear to me when my blood escaped my mouth. Not only was I the one who was losing the most blood out of the three of us "bait," but I was also the one who contained most of _his _blood, automatically making my blood smell better than theirs. I supposed that, by having this attack, I was also helping Cheryl—she hadn't had an attack in a while, so her blood, out of the three of us, wouldn't smell as appetizing. It worked to her advantage, since her leg was fractured.

But their numbers were overwhelming.

I felt so helpless as I watched, through the periods between the waves of pain, Zero slowly getting cornered and hurt. He wasn't putting himself as top priority—I was the one that he was making sure they didn't get their claws into. It resulted in their claws brushing his face or ripping into the arm he held Bloody Rose with. But no matter what, nothing about his facial expression gave away his thoughts or his feelings, and he still placed me first.

"Stop," I told him, gripping onto the lapel of his jacket. "I'm fine now." But that was unconvincing, as I coughed once more.

"I thought I told you to shut up," he told me flatly. "Don't distract me."

And while I believed deeply in Zero's abilities, I knew that this couldn't go on forever. There was just too many of them. No matter how skilled or talented one was, it was impossible to eradicate this many enemies by oneself while placing the safety of someone else first. I had heard about Bloody Rose's evolved state, but I also knew why Zero hadn't released it yet—the amount of blood it consumed from him was too much. If he let himself use it, the blood that I had given him earlier, the blood that was helping him stay sane, could be drained from him. It'd leave him just as bloodthirsty as the other vampires here.

And I knew that he didn't trust himself like that.

Clamping a hand over my mouth, I coughed once more. This attack was one of the longer ones, which meant that the blood cell count had diminished past the supposed percentage. When the pain after that wave subsided, I looked over my shoulder, only to come face-to-face with a vampire whose claws were outstretched and barely two meters away from my face. Her crimson eyes glowed like sparkling rubies, the bloodlust in them shining. Her appearance wasn't filthy or dirty at all—her clothes were unstained, her clothes neat and looking like it had been recently washed.

Newly turned.

Large, thick strings of saliva fell from the corners of her mouth. She let out a high-pitched shriek from what I assumed was excitement as she neared me. I could see myself reflected in her eyes—see my own helpless, bloodied, defenceless self.  
>I cursed.<p>

Zero knew that she was there, I knew he did. His entire body was even more rigid and tense than before. He radiated a dark, menacing aura that flared. Even though I knew he would have shot at her, he didn't have the chance. One of the Level C vampires had gotten hold of his arm and was clawing away at it, refusing to let go. There was nothing that Zero could possibly do to evade the attack, either. We had already been backed against the water fountain, and although he could jump onto the ledge, the chances of one of the vampires swiping at us from behind were high.

There was nothing I could do. Nothing I could do would be fast enough to defend myself from this, especially since my body was so weak. The vibrating feeling that told me that the attack had stopped still hadn't reverberated through my chest, signaling that it would be a bit longer before I could properly stand up. Even then, I needed time to recompose myself. My body was still trembling slightly from the traumatizing pain, from the gut-puking coughs.

Rendered useless, the only thing that I could do was stare, unblinkingly, as her figure came closer and closer. My heart was pounding painfully inside my chest, the beats pulsating loud enough to sound like roars in my ears. I prepared myself to feel my skin being penetrated with her sharp claws, to feel even more pain. I tried desperately to lift an arm up in hopes that it would be fast enough to block her attack, knowing that it would be futile.

But as her claws were a foot away from my face, the sharp sound of something cutting through wind at a high speed penetrated the air. Something slammed into the side of her head so hard that she skidded a few feet off to the side before perishing to dust. My eyes were trained on the weapon that had been thrown, the familiarity of the curves and the intricate designs.

Amidst the sound of pants, of drool or blood falling to the floor, of hisses, of threats, of cries, there was also the sound of steady, calm footsteps that was accompanied by the sound of flesh being cut.

Zero and I directed our eyes over to the direction in which the sounds came from. My heart seemed to beat ten hundred times harder, faster. The pain seemed to intensify, too. My mind was thrown into chaos, but it was also wiped clean from any thoughts.

Emerging from the shadows of the buildings, with his unbuttoned trench coat flowing out from behind him, stood a very familiar hunter. One arm hung at his side, his weapon having been discarded, while the other had decapitated a vampire that lunged at him.

His eyes weren't even open.

With dark, straight crimson hair and bangs falling to cover his right eye entirely—although both eyes remained shut—he stopped when he was a few steps into the clearing that swarmed with vampires. His facial expression was twisted with displeasure and disgust. Hatred and anger surrounded him in a cape made for a king, and as another vampire charged at him, he pierced straight through her head.

A rough breeze swept by, blowing up the fringe that blocked his right side's sight. And as he slowly opened up his eyes, the crystallized gold and jade orbs seemed to glow in the darkness of the night.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

And THAT concludes the fifteenth chapter of Heterochromia! I KNOW, I KNOWWWWWWW. IT'S A CLIFFHANGER AND ALL, BUT STILL. I JUST HAD TO. I'M SO EXCITED TO WRITE CHAPTER SIXTEEN! ASDNGOAWNBOAWNBOAWEB. YOU GUYS DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW EXCITED I AM. LOL.

-clears throat-

But yeah. I'm excited. And I loved writing this chapter, because AL. Dear lord, AL RIGGSSSSSS. I died when writing that section between him and Ivy, I really did. Like, I _really _just died. I can't even- ASDFGHJKL. Did it impact me that much simply 'cause I'm the author, or did you guys feel that way, too? OTL.

I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes, spelling errors, and OOCness that may have occurred! ( It's likely; when I was editing this, I came across five million mistakes that were so horrible I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. )

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**XxStargazingXxXWitchxX, xXMizukiXx, Demonic Angel 7, XxXAkumanoTenshiXxX, luvJesusInHeavn, Tokine8696, Fangirling Duck, Jade Starlight, Simplicity-Shitsuboku, Yuna, Ficchii, and TheBrokenReflection**

Thank you guys for your amazingly wonderful reviews that never cease to make me smile! You guys are awesome beyond comprehension! (:

And also, thank you to everyone who reviewed and alerted! It means a lot to me!

And you guys have gotten used to this by now, right? RESPONSE TIME!

To **XxStargazingXxXWitchxX**;

I can't help but be super concerned 'cause I know I hate it when any canon character is OOC. -FLIPS TABLES- It happens too often as it is. I don't believe that I have an amazing grasp on any of the characters, which is why I try. HAHA. But thank you! I'm glad that you think I keep them in character. And dear lord, it was only "kinda cute"? LOOOOL. I was hoping for squealing, "OHMYGOSH, THEY'RE SO ADORABLE TOGETHER" kind of cute. HAHA.  
>Well, it didn't go smoothly... But then it didn't end in chaos. BUT YOU WERE TOTALLY RIGHT, MAN. SURPRISE AT THE END! YAY! It's a surprise that I love because ASDNGOAWENBOB. I've been waiting for this moment for the longest time. LOL. TRANCEEEEE. -DIES-<br>ASDFGHJKL. You flatter me so much! Dude, if you keep praising me, my ego is going to inflate to the size of, like, America. LOL. And ASNBOWENBOEWAB. THANK YOU. You don't have any idea how much it means to me or how happy it makes me!  
>Thank you for your amazingggggggggg support and taking the time to tell me your thoughts! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! (:<p>

To **xXMizukiXx**;

I KNOW, RIGHT? I've been dying to write scenes with the two of them together. Trust me, I was so happy while writing the previous chapter. HAHA. But then again, I was so happy writing this one. -grins-  
>Aww, thank you for being so understanding! UGH, MATH IS HORRIBLE, RIGHT? It makes me want to cry. LOL. I love my teacher though, so it kinda makes up for it, I guess. He's so nice and he's so funny, but his tests are... OTL. I die. No jokes.<br>I'm SO glad that you enjoyed it! DUDE, THAT WAS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE LINES IN THE CHAPTER, TOO! When I typed that part out, I was nodding my head at the screen like I approved. I don't even- LOL.  
>Well, she didn't get gravely injured... Sort of. BUTBUT IT'S OKAY. Because cuteness will ensue nonetheless. (x<br>If you thought THEY were unexpected, what about the arrival of Trance? LOL. I had this planned for the longest time. I'M SO EXCITED.  
>Thank you so much for your amazingly awesomesauce support all the time! YOU'RE awesome. (x And nono, it's fine! I love hearing your thoughts, so I'm actually glad that you leave me long reviews. GOOD LUCK TO YOU TOOOOOO!<br>As always, I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter as much as the last, and thank you so much for always encouraging me, xXMizukiXx!

To **Demonic Angel 7**;

That's good to hear! I wish I could say the same. HAHA. Ugh, man, we're so alike. I know I gotta work harder, but... Yeah, it just ain't happening. -DIES-  
>I sorta kinda updated soon. Sorta kinda. At least it didn't take eight months? -sheepish smile-<br>HAHA. WELLLL. Who really knows? (;  
>Thank you for supporting me! And I hope that you liked this chapterrrr~<p>

To **XxXAkumanoTenshiXxX**;

In this chapter, back-up plans don't exist. PFFT. C'mon, mannn. It all boils down to luck and super awesome timing! XD  
>LMAOOO. For <em>them<em> to come up with a genius plan, _I__'d_ have to come up with a genius plan! I'm not that much of a genius, mannn. I can only conjure up so much. -DIES-  
>HAHA. Kenta's in his dorm back at the Academy wondering what the hell is going on. And rolling around in his bed in frustration and worry, but who has to know? (;<br>ASDFGHJKL. I think that you're praising me too much. HAHA. There are many authors out there that write so much better than I do. BUT THANK YOU! I'm happy that you think that my writing is comparable to cheaty writing machines. I died with laughter when I read that part; YOU'RE ADORABLE. (:  
>HAHA. Yeah, Ivy's... not really like them. Well, she sorta is, but she definitely has more spunk and more sass to her. I hope that you still like her despite her not being Nadeshiko-like? xD<br>ZERO, YES! -HUGS-  
>Thank you for taking the time to tell me your thoughttts! I appreciate it so much. I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! (ASDFGHJKL, TRANCEEE. )<p>

To **luvJesusInHeavn**;

I'm glad that you loved it! HAHA.  
>Psh, are you kidding me? I love all fanart I get! It's more about how much time one spends on it and how much care rather than just how pro it looks. xP I think Ivy's hair colour is fine in the drawing! ;O It's dark reddish-brown~<br>I love ZeroxIvy moments. I love writing them. HAHA. Glad to know that you loved them, too! And aww, thank you! I think it's hard keeping the canon characters in character since they aren't characters I created myself, and because I find all characters pretty complicated, but still! HAHA.  
>Thank you soooo much for your continuous support! You have no idea how much it means to me! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter as well! TRANCE APPEARED. YES. FINALLY. -happy dance-<p>

To **Tokine8696**;

HAHA! Probably! It was just bad timing on both our parts; if only I had updated ten minutes earlier. XD  
>-breathes sigh of relief- I'm glad to know that I didn't disappoint you! I loved writing the ZeroxIvy moments. (x<br>Well, it sorta screwed up but it didn't totally create havoc, so... I don't even know what to call what's happening. LOL. BUT TRANCE FINALLY SHOWED UP. YAYYY!  
>Aww, you do? Thank you for telling me! I'm glad to know. I seriously need to update that. LOL.<br>Thank you so much for your support! I hope that you weren't disappointed with the latest chapter! xP

To **Fangirling Duck**;

OH YES, I UPDATED! -parties-  
>LOOOOL. I grinned from ear-to-ear when I read about how happy you were upon getting an update alert. xD<br>ASDFGHJKL. I'M SORRY. LOL. ARE YOU NOT A SHOUJO FAN? OTL. I-I thought that it wasn't that shoujo-y. Or maybe it was. I DON'T EVEN KNOW. HAHA. IS DESCRIPTIVE BAD? IS IT BAD THAT YOU FELT LIKE YOU WERE SITTING THERE? ANSOBNOWABOEW. -DIES- I'M SORRY IF I MADE YOUR EYES BLEED.  
>LMAO. Oh, trust me. I wanted to flip tables so badly. You don't even know how angry I was. AND THE LATEST CHAPTER OF VK? HOLY SHIT. DUDE. I WANT TO DESTROY THINGS. I don't even... There are so many negative emotions inside me that I can't even express them properly. I'M SO ANGRY. I'M SO, SOOOO ANGRY. Like, I don't even- DUDE, PHUCK. WHEN HE ASKS HER TO DANCE? I WAS PISSED. WHEN THEY STARTED TO INDIRECTLY REFER TO EACH OTHER? I WAS BREAKING PENCILS. WHEN THEY ALMOST KISSED? SHIT, MAN. I WAS READY TO MURDER.<br>-breathes-  
>Okay, sorry. I had to get that off my chest. I'm still so angry. When I update within, like, a week and a half since VK updated, you <em>know<em> it's because I'm pissed as hell and had to vent and get rid of Yuuki and Zero's relationship for just a moment.  
>LOOL. You have no idea how much I want Yuuki to just... -sighs- And do you hate Kaname? 'Cause I'm actually okay with him... xD Although I think that what he's doing right now is stupid as hell. LOOOOOOOOOL. WHEN I READ THAT LAST PART, I DIED FROM LAUGHTER. Oh god. Off to his bedroom to do unspeakable things? It'll take a while to get there, m'love.<br>THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING ME LAUGH ALL THE TIME! And for always dropping me such amazingly fun reviews! I hope that you liked this new chapter ( HOLY SHIT, TRANCE IS FINALLY INTRODUCED, YAYYY!)

To **Jade Starlight**;

ME TOO. I was grinning as I wrote the chapter. LOL.  
>That's actually what I plan to do! I'm the kind of author that likes presenting questions, giving answers, but having more questions pop up at the same time. HAHA. I'm glad that you don't hate that aspect of my writing! (:<br>Wellllll, this was pretty anti-climatic, right? HAHA. I mean, they didn't go into hiding or anything and Zero didn't push Ivy up against a wall and sink his fangs into her. BUT THEN AGAIN, IVY HAD AN ATTACK AND TRANCE IS FINALLY INTRODUCED, SO... Y'KNOW. (:  
>Oh god, Yuuki and Ivy's relationship. You have no idea. I don't even- XD Look forward to finding out the answers to everything! (:<br>I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! And dear lord, Jade Starlight, thank you so much for always being so supportive of me! It means so much!

To **Simplicity-Shitsuboku**;

THANK GOODNESS. I was so worried, because I haven't really written a chapter in which Zero actually _speaks_ a lot, and interacts with Ivy. But yeah! It's so relieving to know that he wasn't OOC! And oh yes. Zero's too indescribable. You need, like, eight words to be able to describe him properly, and even then, it's not even spot-on. D;  
>HAHA. You know how I feel when you leave me reviews now! It makes me all happy and fuzzy on the inside~ (x<br>A-Am I am idiot or what? Because I didn't know the rest of the "blo" that got cut off. ASDFGJKL. The first thing I thought of when I read that was, "blooper" AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY. LOOOOOOOL. An unnatural block, huh? Welll. Who knows? (; You'll have to keep reading to find out the answers!  
>And NONO, IT'S OKAY. LMAO. I love hearing your thoughts and your predictions and everything else! It's fun being able to read what you write and being able to respond! (:<br>THANK YOU SO MUCH for your amazing support all the time! I hope that you liked the latest chapter! ( TRANNCEEEEEEE. )

To **Yuna**;

RIGHT? I'm glad you thought so, too! (x  
>LOOOOL. Well, Ivy kinda broke in. Don't ask me how or why she knows how to pick locks, because an answer will sorta be presented to you later. xD<br>Al's part in this chapter was actually kinda depressing, but I loved in nonetheless. I hope you feel the same way!  
>Hmm, well. You were sorta kinda right? HAHA. I don't even know how to describe what's happening right now. XD<br>Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! (:

To **Ficchii**;

... This is really random, but have I told you that I love your name? -SLAPPED-  
>DON'T PRAISE ME LIKE THAT! IT INFLATES MY EGO TO IMMENSE SIZES. ASDFGHJKL. But thank you! You have no idea how much it means to me! LOL. You don't want half of my brain, trust me. You'll want to give it back to me right away because I'm an idiot ninety-nine percent of the time. I just try not to show it. xD<br>I'm glad that you loved it and think that it's so awesome! HAHA. I try to take things slow but paced; this story and the relationship between Zero and Ivy will take a while. HAHA. I hope that you'll stick with me until it ends! (:  
>I UPDATED! BOTH! YAYYYY! xD<br>Thank you so much for your amazing support! I hope that you enjoyed both the updates of Heterochromia as well as Shitsuren! (x

To **TheBrokenReflection**;

HAHA, WELCOME BACK! And yes, of course I remember! It's hard to forget amazing people who send me equally amazing reviews. xP  
>Your compliments. T-T They flatter me too much! I'm so touched that you think so highly of my writing, though. ASDFGJKL. Even though I obviously don't deserve it. LOLLL. I love the adjectives you use to describe my writing and my stories! It's adorable that you make up words! XD I think that there are lots of amazing writers on this site and in this fandom, although I haven't read anything so I don't really know. BUT YEAH. I don't doubt it. xD<br>AND NOO, IT'S OKAY! I'm just happy to know that you're still supporting me and reading my blurbs. Dude, poor laptop. ): I read in your other review that you got a new one though, so congrats! (x  
>LMAOOO. I was grinning like an idiot with the ZeroxIvy moments, too. -DIES- And oh god, I hate Yuuki and I hate writing about her and Zero's relationship, BUT IT'S SO NECESSARY, AND I'M LIKE, "WHYYYYYY?"<br>AWW, thank you for suffering through mobile-typing to send me such an amazing review! Trust me, I struggle with mobile-typing to. Everything comes out wrong when I do it. xD But it's okay; I love long reviews and hearing your thoughts! It makes me happy, happy, happy~  
>CORNY IS MY MIDDLE NAME. And cheesy, too. ;D LMAO. You get sugar hypes? I don't know whether to laugh at you or shake my head. xD<br>Thank you so much for your encouragement, TheBrokenReflection! It means a lot to me to know that you're still reading my work; I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapterrr!

END OF RESPONSES.

DUDE. I REPLIED TO EACH AND EVERY SINGLE PERSON THAT REVIEWED. I DON'T EVEN- WHY ARE YOU GUYS SO AMAZING THAT I CAN'T SKIP OUT ON RESPONDING TO ANY? LOOOOL. Like, half the reviews I usually get are simple, "update soon!"s BUT YOU GUYS ARE SO AMAZING AND I LOVE IT AND I'M SORRY THAT THERE ARE SO MANY WALLS OF TEXT THAT YOUR EYES BLEED. -breathes-

Okay. HAHA.

SO YEAH.

I told you guys last chapter that there would be a surprise at the end AND something super significant regarding Al! I WASN'T LYING! HOHOHO. So yeah, in this chapter, TA-DA! More questions? I think so. (x Those two tie into the question this time!

**QUESTION: Which relationship are you more curious to find out about; Ivy and Trance's or Al and Violet's and why? What are your predictions?**

That's kinda two questions, BUT STILL.

I'M SO EXCITED TO WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER, YOU GUYS DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW EXCITED I AM. LOL. ASDFGJKL.

And I'm looking forward to reading all your thoughts and responses! God, you guys don't know how excited I am to see what you guys say. xD

Tell me whether you like this chapter, hate it, or love it!

Please feel free to drop me a review; I don't bite! (x

I'll try to update soon, but until then, GOOD LUCK WITH SCHOOL AND I HOPE THAT YOU GUYS ARE ALL OKAY! ASDFGNOBNWEOVAWP.

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	16. White Paint on Black Paint

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters. All rights go to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N:**

THE. LATEST. CHAPTER. GUYS, I DON'T EVEN. Like, I'm not even talking about Heterochromia's sixteenth chapter, I'm talking about VK's actual latest chapter.

Dear lord. Believe me, I broke tables. I BROKE. TABLES. ASDFGHJKL! So angry.

But then anger gave way to writing, and I ended up writing the latest chapter of Heterochromia! YAAAAY! -happy dances- I'm really happy that I managed to get this up within a month, because this chapter has Trance in it and I adore him and I don't even know what else to say because I think he's amazing and lovely and he's delightful and-

-breathes-

Yeah. (x

CAN YOU GUYS BELIEVE IT'S ALREADY DECEMBERRR? Ahmygosh. It's not gonna be long before it's Christmas! Yay! (x You guys looking forward to it?

ENJOY!

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN;**

_"White Paint on Black Paint"_

* * *

><p>My eyes were wide and disbelieving as I stared at him. There was so much going through my mind, so much I wanted to say, to ask. Emotions bombarded me so forcefully that I could have fallen out of Zero's grip. Yet the only thing I managed to do was utter his name in a barely audible voice.<p>

"...Trance?"

Something flickered in his hard, cold eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly as it came. Looking unfazed, he reached into the pocket of his trench coat and took out a dagger, throwing it toward the male Level C whose claws were still sinking into Zero's arm. The bloodthirsty vampire jumped out of the way to dodge the hit that would've been vital, but the dagger still managed to pierce through a lurking Level E's throat.

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out except for a violet round of coughing. I shut my eyes, trying to block out the pain, but I could hear him as he made his way closer toward us. The sounds of his footsteps were mere whispers along the ground and they were unfaltering, even as I heard the numerous vampires getting pulverized by him.

There were so many things that ran through my mind. There were so many things that I wanted to say to him, to express, but all of it seemed to get caught in my throat. No matter how much I loved him or how much I cared for him, I couldn't say anything. I was always reminded of the past, which then strung to the present. I always tried convincing myself that maybe, by having our relationship remain nearly nonexistent, it showed just how much I cared for him.

Because I was sure that he wouldn't want to see me no matter what the circumstances were.

He calmly walked over to where his left hand's weapon lay, walking past Zero and I with a fleeting glance that seemed freezing. The way he carried himself made it clear that he thought he was superior to the rest of the vampires. In all honesty, I wasn't sure if it was arrogance or mere confidence in his abilities. Trance picked up his single-bladed katar, the long, smooth blade tainted with blood and dust. After sliding his hand to grip the silver metal handle, he slashed at the air roughly to get the unwanted grime off.

It was at this moment that the sensation of having something vibrate within me started up again. Softly, softly, but growing more and more prominent with each second. The pain began to fade as the strength of the reverberations was felt throughout my entire body. It only took a minute for the sensation to reach the climax and then just cut off, disappearing completely.

Relieved that the attack finally ended, my body automatically relaxed itself slightly. My breaths seemed to be as loud as falling buildings as I tried to get enough air into my lungs. I wiped at my mouth with the sleeve of my trench coat, knowing that if I used my hands, I'd only end up smearing more blood all over myself.

I didn't even try to compose myself completely before I attempted to speak. My voice came out shaky and in a whisper as I asked, "Why are you here, Trance?"

His voice could've been liquid nitrogen seeping into my heart. "None of your business." After being satisfied with the sanitation of Kaveil, the name of his single-bladed anti-vampire katar, he moved toward the back of the mob nonchalantly.

Although the words hit hard, I couldn't keep myself from pressing him on the subject. He wasn't supposed to be here. He was supposed to be much farther away, at another town that was experiencing the same sort of attacks that we were. So why was he here? Where was everyone else? _How was he?_"But you're not—"

"Hey, you." Trance held no regards to the fact that Zero was older than he was by four years, or the fact that Zero would become the future head of the Association. No respect was shown whatsoever in his voice, nor was in his expression as he looked over his shoulder at the silver-haired male. "Get out of here. You're in my way."

"Trance!" I admonished automatically.

My younger brother slid his solidified green eye to rest on me. His expression gave away nothing about his thoughts, but his eye seemed to be enough to convey just how much he hated me. "Do you want to die?" he asked me in a glacial tone. Turning to look at Zero, Trance instructed him, "_Go. _You're only a block or two away."

Instead of looking startled, offended, or angry at anything that was said to him, Zero merely looked incredibly solemn. His scowl, which had been dark enough already, only seemed to deepen as his lavender eyes rested on the prodigy of the Tashiro family. I wondered what was going through Zero's mind—was he as confused as I was? Was he resenting my younger brother? But what made me even more baffled was the fact that there was no hint of surprise whatsoever on his face. It was like he wasn't even fazed in the least at seeing my younger brother—even earlier, when he had emerged from the shadows. Zero's expression had remained neutral, calm. He hadn't even tensed.

Zero's response was unexpected. "You're coming."

"You're kidding me." Trance scoffed as he turned around to face the back. "Who do you think I _am_?"

The sound that left Zero's lips sounded like an amused sigh and a disbelieving scoff. My eyes widened. In fact, it almost sounded like a second's worth of a chuckle. Almost. My mind was thrown into another round of chaos, my heart speeding up. It was the first time I had ever heard something like that from him.

I couldn't help but think that it sounded beautiful.

"Then..." Zero darkened lavender eyes met Trance's, some sort of connection and understanding passing them that I didn't understand. "I leave it to you."  
><em><br>What_? Bewilderment bombarded my entire body. I was beyond confused—I might not have known Zero, as he was now, for all that long, but I was pretty confident that he wouldn't be speaking in such a way to someone he didn't know. Zero wasn't the type to simply rely on others like that, especially strangers—which only meant that they weren't completely unaware of who the other person was.

But that just led to even more questions.

"Let me down!" I objected as I stared up with a scowl at Zero. "I'm _fine _now!"

"You're too loud," came his deadpanned response. He didn't spare me a glance, but rather, his lilac orbs were trained on the fourteen-year-old hunter that stood with his back to us. And, even though no spoken words were exchanged between them, they moved in unison. The moment that Trance started attacking the vampires with deadly accuracy and skill, Zero also began to move. He seemed to know exactly where to go to evade other vampires, exactly where the openings were.

It took me a second to realize that Trance was creating a path for us. That was why he had stood at the back of the clearing instead of the front, which was where we had come from. It was because in order to continue along the path to the traps, we had to leave from the back of the clearing.

Due to Trance's amazing techniques, we somehow managed to reach the edge of the clearing without even getting scratched. Just as Kaveil sliced through the last Level C that was in our way to the narrow alleyway that we had to go through, Zero swept past Trance. Their eyes locked for just a moment before Trance's eye caught mine.

He stared at me, just like I gaped at him—I wanted to say something, to get just _anything _out of my throat, but nothing came out. I wanted to reach out and pull him into my arms, to embrace him, to ruffle his hair, but my body remained like lead. His only visible eye shifted away as he pivoted on his heel, turning around to face the rest of the oncoming mob. Even as the crimson-haired Tashiro's figure began to get smaller and smaller, I still watched for as long as I could over Zero's shoulder.

But he didn't look back even once.

Zero skidded around a corner, evading a Level E's claws by a large margin, and continued heading toward the traps. Even though Trance was staying behind to hold back the crowd of vampires, it would be unrealistic of him to be able to stop every single vampire. After all, there were too many. Some were bound to get past him. And soon, the thundering breaths and footsteps of the bloodthirsty vampires that _did _get past him started to ring in the air around us. Yet, compared to before, there was a significantly smaller amount of them.

There were so many questions, but I knew that now wasn't the time to ask him. So despite the immense difficulty and control that it took, I put a lid on my curiosity and kept my mouth shut.

Just a few meters before we reached the place where the traps were set up, Zero slowed down to allow the crowd of vampires to close the distance a bit so that they weren't all lagging behind. When they were all gathered, but not close enough to swipe at him, he continued into the area in which we had set everything up. Already aware of where the traps were set and how to avoid them, Zero glided through the cracks so easily and casually that I was sure the other vampires didn't suspect a thing at all.

Without even attempting to assess the situation or vicinity, they all rushed in. Immediately, the invisible runes that were written in the language of the ancient hunters began to glow beneath their feet, but even as they realized it, it was already much too late. Some of the traps were meant to paralyze the vampires for up to five hours, while others summoned up an unbreakable cage to enclose them. Some of the written snares popped nets, tangling the vampires inside the ward-covered webs, and others just brought about blazing flames that burned the vampires to death right on the spot. They were all spells that weren't used often because they took a lot of preparation—the runes written from the past language were very intricate and detailed, and while they were strong and covered a relatively spacious amount of land, they usually didn't work _too _well against aristocrats and Purebloods.

Shrills of the vampires shook the night. A lot were painted with anger, but there were also many that were coated with agonizing pain. It wasn't just from the group that Zero and I had gathered, but even the shrieks from Al and Cheryl's general location sounded through the night so clearly.  
>Zero and I watched as the mob of vampires that had been aiming for us either died or were ensnared. Any of the night creatures that made it past the traps were immediately shot dead by Zero's Bloody Rose, which he held in one hand after shifting me again. He couldn't see it, but I knew that he was aware of the fact that I rolled my eyes at him. The slight smile on my face gave away my thoughts, though.<p>

We waited a few moments, making sure that there were no straggling ones that were about to jump out at us. When none came and the only sound that could be heard was the sound of our breathing, the muscles in both our bodies began to relax a bit.

Slowly, carefully, Zero set me back down onto the ground. When my feet touched the concrete, I murmured softly to him, "Thank you." The silver-haired hunter kept his grip on my arm and shoulder, making sure that I was standing steadily before straightening himself back up.

Instantly, my left arm reached out to grab onto his right wrist, just as he ignored me and simultaneously stretched his left arm to clutch onto my right. The sudden action startled me, making my heart beat just a bit faster in surprise. I wondered what he was doing, but decided to leave it. My concern was elsewhere—more specifically, on the bleeding scratches that were embedded into his forearm.

"It's deep," we both murmured in unison. I blinked my eyes up at him, once again somewhat jolted. He merely looked over at me with his eyebrows furrowed together tightly, his scowl just as prominent as it had been earlier. It took me a second to realize that he had flipped my left forearm over to reveal the wound that I created myself earlier with Rixelvelt.

I couldn't help but laugh as I grinned up at him. "For a moment there, our minds were completely in sync."

I wondered if he knew that the fact he seemed to actually _care _about what had happened to me made pleasantly warm, fuzzy feelings invade every fiber of my being. I never would have imagined the stoical silver-haired hunter actually feel any sort of emotion toward me aside from contempt and indifference.

"How does your mind work?" came his retort.

"Oddly," I answered honestly. Flashing him a brief grin, my mood changed within seconds as my eyes once again landed on his injury. "Are you okay?"

It looked horrible. The sleeves of his trench coat had been torn into shreds, and his blood had seeped through his clothing, staining it crimson red. Trails of his blood had trickled down from the gashes and had stained his hands. They created ruby rivers that dripped in a moderate rate to the floor, the splattering sound thick and heavy.

"It's fine," he brushed off. He turned his gaze pointedly over to the arm he was still holding in his hand. I couldn't help but notice that his grip was so gentle, so careful. It made me feel like he believed he was holding onto a glass flower. "Who the hell stabs themselves that deeply to be a decoy?"

I followed his gaze to stare at my own wound. The cut on my forearm, due to the quick regenerative abilities, was much better than before. Nonetheless, blood still oozed out of the large wound quickly, the dark red droplets falling loudly onto the pavement every few seconds.

I couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Well, I did it thinking it'd be the only way I'd be losing my blood. I _really _didn't expect one of my attacks to hit." Pausing, I tilted my head up to meet his eyes. "I'm so sorry about that."

"And what are you apologizing for this time?" he asked. There was a note of exasperation that played faintly in his tone. Despite the negativity that most people would interpret from it, I saw it as something different. A smile automatically curved at my lips upon hearing it, because the way he had said it also inferred he was getting much more used to me than I would have thought. With the sheer amount of hours we spent together every single day for nearly a week, however, I wouldn't expect any less from someone like him.

"Not warning you ahead of time that it could've happened, not figuring out a back-up plan for when if it _did _happened, having you carry me, and…" My eyes fluttered away from his guiltily, the smile on my face fading as my lime and lemon orbs landed on the dripping red liquid. "For not being able to let you drink from me right now, despite knowing that it hurts you so much."

Zero's eyes burned holes into the top of my head, and he remained silent, almost like he was expecting me to give in and finally return his gaze. Yet, unable to muster up enough courage to meet his amethyst eyes, I remained hanging my head.

He eventually sighed. "Does it ever cross your mind," he paused for a moment before continuing stiffly, "that you're an idiot?"

Upon hearing this, my head _did_ snap up to look at him. Bewildered, I asked, "_What_?"

"After nearly getting pierced in the head, it's unnatural for your thoughts and worries to be surrounded around anyone but yourself," Zero pointed out. His eyebrows were still strung together, his scowl just as dark as before. Needless to say, he didn't look happy at all.

"I wouldn't have gotten pierced through the head," I objected with a frown. "Maybe claws raked down my face, but I wouldn't have _died _or anything." It was true. The intentions of the vampire that had lunged at me earlier had shown in her eyes—she wanted my blood while I was still alive. After all, warm blood was definitely better than cool blood. She had just been so overwhelmed by her own power, her speed was a little bit too fast for her to control. Otherwise, instead of aiming for my face, she would've aimed for around the neck.

"And the difference is?" Zero's eyes shifted over to where the frozen or trapped vampires were before saying, "We're going back to Headquarters."

I looked over at the vampires, staring for a moment. "Okay." I made a move toward them, planning on taking a few of them back to Headquarters since we were going there anyways, but Zero's grasp on my arm tightened just enough to be firm, but remain gentle, as he pulled me back.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked me in his quiet, deep voice.

Puzzled, I tilted my head up to stare at his scowling face. "We're going back to Headquarters, right? We might as well take them back with us in case reinforcements come and take them away. If they're not locked up by the time the spells' limits are up, then this would've been completely pointless."

"We're not taking the ones that aren't caged in," Zero said. And since I was a hunter, I understood the implication behind his words—the ones that were paralyzed would be killed, so there was no need to bring them back. It was a cruel thing to do, as the vampires were completely aware of the fact that they'd die. I could imagine the amount of helplessness and vulnerability they would feel, knowing that they couldn't escape whatever we planned to do to them.

Rather than objecting to his decision—looking at our numbers, I was sure that we had more than enough prisoners—I merely agreed silently. My eyes darkened slightly as my hand tightened on Rixelvelt. Releasing my grip on Zero's wrist and pulling my arm back away from him, I moved toward the silent group of awaiting vampires.

"Tashiro, what—"

Rixelvelt's blade sliced through one of the paralyzed vampire's neck, the body reducing to dust in just a second. I remembered the look of horror she gave me as I walked toward her. I remembered her wide, crazed eyes darting back and forth. I doubted that I could ever forget the plead in them, despite the insane bloodlust that clouded her ruby orbs. Yet as I continued manoeuvring myself through the motionless vampires through the hisses of the livid ones in the cages as dust continued to fly in the air, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of expression I had.

When the last one was cut down, I simply stood still, staring down at the pile of dust with unblinking eyes. A million emotions washed over me, but I didn't know which one was the most prominent. They all seemed to mix together—regret, sadness, anger, resentment, sorrow, guilt. Yet there was also some sick part of me that felt relieved. A part of me that felt like what I had done wasn't wrong.

Somehow, I forced a laugh to break the silence. "I... am a _horrible _person." Tilting my head back to stare up at the dark, starless sky, I murmured, "They probably had somewhere to go. A family that was wondering if they were going to come back. They probably had something they wanted to live for. I don't know... if my heart even grieves for them. I wonder if I truly feel any compassion for them." My words were barely audible although the night was so incredibly silent.

My heart squeezed inside my chest painfully, my hands clenching along Rixelvelt's shaft. Was this normal? I wasn't sure anymore. I didn't think it was. I felt like I was just deceiving myself.

There were so many memories.

"I'm really not as kind as I want to make myself out as," I breathed. Sighing, I shut my eyes and shook my head, turning back around to face Zero.

The lilac-eyed hunter's words didn't surprise me, but the mere fact that he even bothered to continue the conversation was what startled me. "Vampire hunters aren't _meant _to feel anything while exterminating bloodsuckers." His back faced me as he swiveled around, his feet carrying him toward Headquarters.

"Don't you ever wonder why?" I asked as I fell into step behind him. "I understand that we, in general, despise vampires. But I wonder all the time about how we got to this point. When did we start believing that it's okay to kill them without hesitation like that? Where did our morals go? Our values?"

"To kill or to _be _killed," Zero responded without turning back to look at me. His voice was flat as he continued, "We kill them to keep humans alive. It's our duty as vampire hunters to keep regular humans safe."

"Are you saying our personal ethics don't mean anything because this is our 'duty'?" I countered quietly. I stared at his broad back that was clad in a familiar black trench coat. It had been over a month since I had reunited with Zero, but I felt like I had been staring at him from behind for an eternity.

His retort was swift, like he had expected my answer before I had even said it. "If you respect your morals so much, then why are you a hunter, Tashiro? This world isn't meant for people who can't kill without hesitation."

I let out a small chuckle, but there was no humour in it. I stared at his back with a slightly remorseful feeling in my chest. "Then I'm fine being in this world, aren't I?" My eyes lowered to stare at the floor. "You saw the way I killed them without even thinking about it twice."

"But you did."

Surprised at his response, my head snapped up to look at him. He had turned his head slightly, showing me his handsome side profile. Mauve eyes met emerald and gold ones for a second before they flickered away again, his head rotating back to face the front.

Perplexed, I shook my head slowly. "I didn't, Zero." I wasn't sure what made him think that I had. What I had done was ruthless, cruel, brutal. It wasn't something that a pure, kind-hearted person would've done.

If it had been Yuuki, I was sure that she would've done whatever she could to keep them alive.

My hands clenched into fists at my sides, and I gritted my teeth, my eyes tightening. _And yet, I..._

"You don't understand it," said Zero tonelessly. "But I guess I'm not surprised."

"I—_hey_!" I exclaimed in protest. "Why don't you explain it to me then, oh great one? I'd love to know what I don't understand. I want to see where you're coming from." Because he was so mysterious, so enigmatic. So complicated.

"Figure it out yourself."

As I stared at him, he turned back slightly to give me a meaningful look that was hidden underneath his usual layers of misery. His lavender eyes glinted with an indescribable emotion as he looked at me, temporarily freezing me in place. I stood, stunned, as his back continued to get farther and farther away from me.

I couldn't even begin to explain all the emotions that filled his eyes at that moment. Maybe it was because I didn't know what half of them even _were_. All I knew was that it had caused warmth to spread from the roots of my hair to the tips of my toes.

And I somehow found myself smiling as I hurried after him. I passed him so that I could whirl around and face him. Stopping in my steps, I reached out and lightly gripped onto both of his forearms. Laughing, I looked up at him and said, "You need to explain it to me one day if I never end up deciphering it on my own, okay?"

Zero stared down at me with his hauntingly beautiful eyes. I couldn't help but gape at him slightly, my eyes sinking into his. I wanted to memorize everything about the way he looked—the way his reserved eyes spoke a million words, the way his eyebrows pulled together, the way his features contorted into a scowl. I found myself wanting to remember everything about him.

I didn't know how long we stared at each other in silence, but I knew that I wouldn't have minded if it was for a "forever." I could've drowned myself in his eyes and it would have been okay. When my eyes gazed into his, I felt like no amount of time in the entire world would be enough for me to truly understand the emotions that lingered in the back of his amethyst orbs.

A soft, chilly breeze danced by, teasing with our hair. His downy strands of silver fell into his eyes just as mine did, but neither of us made a move to swipe them away. In fact, neither one of us even blinked.

And, just as quiet and gentle as the wind that had passed us, he said, "Don't count on it."

* * *

><p>She stood there, beautiful yet solemn, the moment we entered through Headquarters' doors. Her dark crimson eyes were so soft, so saddened, as they landed on the silver-haired hunter. I wondered if she knew that there was a tender look underneath her grave expression. However, as soon as she noticed the wounds that we carried, her eyes immediately widened as they flooded with concern.<p>

"Are you two okay?" She took a few steps toward us, but she hesitated when she came within a few feet.

Zero remained silent, his eyes resting on her for only a moment before they darted to the side. Turning his head away to pointedly ignore her presence, he continued on his way toward the infirmary that was situated on the first floor.

"Zero—"

"It's none of your concern," came his curt, cold reply. He didn't even pause in his trek, his footsteps not faltering.

My eyes fell to the floor upon hearing the discarded hurt that still lurked behind his words. He sounded like it pained him to have her say his name, but I knew that even though it hurt him, he wanted nothing more than to hear it again.

For a moment, his footsteps were the only sounds that filled the large, grand foyer of the building. He didn't look back to see if I was following him, or to see her expression. The two of us merely watched him wordlessly as he disappeared behind a corner, his ruined trench coat swaying behind him.

I blinked at the spot he had vanished from my sight for a few heartbeats before I shifted my gaze to rest on Yuuki. She, too, looked at me. The smile that was on her face was slightly forced—depressingly gorgeous. It reflected the exact same smile that was on my face, too.

"We're fine," I told her, breaking the stillness that had settled between us. I tried to make my smile more cheerful as I commented, "You look well, so that must mean Mana is as well."

"Yes, we're both fine," Yuuki answered. She tried to smile again, but it wavered slightly and she settled for simply retaining a grim expression on her face. "Are you sure that it's not too serious? Your clothes are all stained with blood."

I waved it off dismissively with a movement from my hand. "It's not as bad as it looks, trust me. But I should probably head to the infirmary and take care of myself before the rest come back—it's doubtful that everyone made it out without _any _injuries."

Yuuki's eyes fluttered over to the side that Zero had passed her by. "Yes, that's probably the best thing to do."

My heart wrenched in my chest as I saw that kind of expression dance across her features. However, I wasn't sure whether my heart twisted because I was upset or angry. It broke my heart that they were both hurting so much. Every time they were together, it was like the atmosphere in the room was suffocating everyone else. The hurt, the agony, the affection, the tenderness—it was always there, always present. It was painful to watch them tip-toe around each other like that, but I would be lying if I said that the way they acted didn't irritate me. I knew that their situation wasn't easy, because you could never control how you felt. It wasn't anyone's fault. Yet how she acted and what she did _were _things that she could manage.

She was torn. I understood.

But she had chosen.

So why was it like this?

"I'm sorry." My mouth moved on its own, the words slipping out. At her surprised and perplexed gaze, I tilted my head over to where Zero had disappeared off to as an explanation. I met her eyes with my own, but there was no smile on my face. "It's... hard."

Well, _that _was a complete and utter understatement.

I slowly blinked my eyes once, trying to give her a supportive smile. "Maybe with time, things will get better." Pausing, I shifted my eyes away. "If you'll excuse me..." I trailed off, placing a foot in front of the other. I passed her without sneaking a peek, because I wasn't sure if I wanted to see which emotions were on her face. I knew that it would only send my thoughts into another whirlwind, and I didn't want to have all my perspectives even more jumbled up than they already were.

When I opened up the infirmary door, the sight that graced me was one of Zero sitting on a stool in front of one of the beds with a first-aid kid opened up on the counter next to him. I shut the door behind me, walking farther into the room.

"Sit." It was an order, but somehow, it didn't sound like one.

Deciding it was better to do as he said, I silently made my way over to where he was. I climbed up onto the bed, sitting so that my legs hung off the side and my body faced his. I watched him carefully as he took a wet, clean towel with one hand and my wrist with the other, flipping it so that the inside was shown. I was somewhat grateful that I didn't have to roll up my sleeves because I had already done that earlier.

His movements were as delicate as flower petals, but they were confident and secure. As he dressed my wound, he made it seem like I was so fragile. It was as if he believed I would break if he just put the wrong amount of pressure on me. It amused me, but it also made my heart feel all warm. It showed me that, despite everything he said and how cold he came off as, he still cared. Even if it was only a little bit, even if it was something as simple as his sense of chivalry, it still meant he cared.

He was so kind. It made me smile, but also made me feel a bit sad, because he didn't even know how many people understood this about him.

As his long, slender fingers finished tying the knot of the white, stretchy bandages, he sighed. "Don't move around too much or it's going to start bleeding again."

"I'll try," I told him lightly. "It depends on what other work we need to do, right?" Whether or not there were still more vampires remained unknown to us. We weren't a hundred percent sure, but we believed that the surrounding towns had all exterminated the mobs and were simply waiting to see if it was truly over.

The silver-haired vampire didn't say anything, but instead began to stand up from the stool he had been sitting on. He turned around, heading toward the door.

I reached out and wrapped my fingers around his wrist, smiling at him when he turned to scowl at me. "Where do you think you're going? It's your turn to get your injury treated."

"It's fine," he told me nonchalantly.

Shaking my head, I tugged him backward. He let out a resigned sigh as I slipped off of the bed and took his previous seat, rummaging around the first-aid kit that was laid out on the counter next to me. "Take your coat off."

"You're so persistent," he muttered. Even though he said this, he shrugged himself out of his torn trench coat and tossed it next to him. Already knowing what he had to do, he rolled his torn sleeve up as well as he could, exposing the bloodied, deep scratches that marred his pale skin.

I blinked as I wiped at his forearm carefully using the warm, wet towel that he had gotten when he first came into the room. Half of it had already been smeared red with my blood, but the other side was clean, so I figured it didn't really matter. I knew that you weren't supposed to touch another person's blood without gloves or anything, but I didn't care. I nearly failed my first-aid lessons when I was younger because I never followed the right regulations and procedures.

But I knew what I was doing. Seriously!

My mind flashed back to what had happened tonight as I worked on cleaning the claw wounds. I wanted to ask him something, but I kept hesitating. It had slipped my mind momentarily when we were walking back to Headquarters, but now, in this silence-filled room, I couldn't help but succumb to my thoughts and questions.

"If you have something to say, say it." It was like he read my mind.

I couldn't help but laugh. "You caught me." Pausing, I tried to gather my thoughts as I opened up one of the antiseptic wipes and began using it to minimize the chances of infections. It took me a moment, but when I spoke, there was no trace of any humour or amusement in my voice. Rather, it sounded hesitant and torn—_not _what I had originally planned. "How—How do you know Trance?"

His eyes burned into my skull as he stared at the top of my head, but I focused on simply wiping at the slashes that decorated his skin. "You can't ask him yourself?"

"I'm sure you know that Trance and I aren't on very... amiable terms." The mild upward tilt of my lips seemed heavy. "I can't exactly go up to him and strike up conversation like that and actually expect a response."

I knew he wouldn't ask me the question that most people would: the "why not?" because Zero wasn't the type of person to stick his head into other people's business. He tried to remain detached from everyone, tried to keep himself emotionally sheltered. It was just who he was. He was the kind of person who simply listened to you if you needed someone to talk to; he was never the type to force others to talk or pry into their lives.

I wasn't sure if I hated or loved that part of him.

Like I expected, he didn't ask. Instead, he answered my original question after a pregnant pause in our conversation. "... Raids."

"I see," I murmured, unsurprised. After I finished spreading the ointment lightly and thinly on his wound, I began to wrap the cloth bandages around it. "Are you guys close?"

His eyes continued to pierce the top of my head. "Not particularly."

"Sorry," I told him with a small chuckle as I finally looked up to meet his eyes. "Trance... can be a bit hard to handle. He always does things at his own pace, so it can get kind of troublesome. And his personality is a bit hard to understand, so that's always a factor. Thank you for taking such good care of him all the time, though. It means a lot to me. I owe you a ton."

Zero opened his mouth, looking like he was going to say something. However, before anything could be said, the infirmary door slammed open, causing both our attention to divert over to the newcomers.

Al had been the one who had sent the door crashing against the wall. The first thing he did was rush over to where I was, grabbing onto my shoulders with both hands and a serious look on his face. No words left him as he merely assessed me, his exotic eyes darting around everywhere. He lifted my arms up and turned me around.

"A-Al? What's wrong?" I stammered out, startled. My eyes raked over his form, taking notice that his face had gotten a small scratch above one of his eyebrows. One of his sleeves had been torn off, and I could see faint red marks along the skin of his bicep, but it was too shallow to be bleeding. I felt relief wash over me.

He let out a huge sigh after another moment, his entire body slumping onto mine. He rested his forehead against my shoulder as he said, "Thank god you're okay. Shit, you have no idea how worried I was."

"What, why?" I asked, my arms automatically wrapping around his waist in a loose embrace.

"The smell of your blood filled the air." A blank, monotonous voice spoke, and I looked over the top of Al's head to spot the familiar maroon-haired model standing just a little past the door into the room. His clothes had been dirtied, but other than that, I couldn't spot a single thing wrong with him.

"Shiki," I greeted with a bright smile. "I'm glad to know that you're fine."

His expressionless eyes met mine for a second before they lowered onto my visibly bandaged arm and my blood-soaked clothes. "If only I could say the same about you, Ivy-san."

Repeating what I had said to Yuuki earlier, I notified him, "It's really not as bad as it looks."

"Ugh, the stupid attack couldn't have had worse timing," Al complained as he lifted himself off of me. "It just _had _to hit you when you were running from a mob of bloodthirsty vampires that had a murderous intent, yeah?"

"But it's good," Shiki murmured in his quiet, impassive voice. When Al raised an eyebrow at him, the aristocrat elaborated, "That you were saved."

I smiled as I jabbed a thumb over my shoulder to point at Zero. "Yeah, Zero saved me big time." I tried to keep my tone the same as I added, "And Trance also showed up for whatever reason."

"I saw the kid on our way back," Al informed me, his hands behind his head. "He said something about taking the prisoners back and then contacting Yagari-kun."

Nodding, I said, "I see." Looking around, I noticed how someone was missing from the group that had entered. "Where's Aidou?"

"He went to check on the Pureblood princess," Al replied, a grin stretching across his lips. "He was muttering something about how 'Kaname-sama' would have his head if she had gotten hurt, and that it was his duty as Kuran-kun's right-hand man to follow his orders correctly."

Unable to help it, a laugh escaped me. "Then it's safe to assume that he's perfectly fine?"

"Oh, you bet," Al answered easily. Shifting his eyes over to rest on the silent figure behind me, he asked, "You okay there, Zero-kun?"

"Fine," came Zero's one-word reply.

"Did you see Cheryl and them on your way back, Al?" I asked him curiously. They were running a bit late, which was slightly unusual. Nonetheless, I was positive that nothing had happened to them. After all, Cheryl wasn't the type to go down without a fight that would shake the entire earth.

Nodding his head, Al reported, "They looked fine, too. I think they're bringing _their _group of vampires back, so it's taking a while. They caught more than they killed."

"I see." I paused for a moment, my eyes falling onto my bloodstained boots. Quietly, I asked, "Do you think it's over yet?"

Silence greeted me, because none of us really knew the answer.

But maybe that was because none of us knew what I was really referring to.

* * *

><p>Later on, Trance had told us that Kaien and Yagari were on their way back to the Association, and that so were all the other hunters that had been situated at the surrounding towns. Well, <em>most <em>of them were coming back. They were all gathering here in order to figure out what to do now that the rebellion was over, and how to fix all the damages that had been caused.

But that wasn't the only reason that they were all congregating at Headquarters.

The stupid debate on who would become the next president was also taking place soon. I was surprised when I had heard from Yagari, after he had arrived, that he believed it was still going to take place as scheduled. After all, _why _was it such a big issue? When how to deal with the consequences and impacts of the rebellion was obviously so much more significant, why were they going to put that aside temporarily to have an idiotic debate? I didn't understand what they were thinking, but it was apparent that my opinion didn't really matter.

Everyone that was a student at Cross Academy was supposed to head back as soon as possible, the only exception being Zero. He had to stay behind and help learn the process in using the memory-wipe charms—something that only the older and more experienced hunters were allowed to use. I was also supposed to stay, but the moment I heard that my grandparents were also on their way back, I immediately went to grab my bags. I would be leaving with the five Night Class students that had kindly lent us a helping hand.

Yagari and Kaien both tried to stop me, but I didn't listen to a single word they said. I was lucky that Kaito wasn't present when I told them that I was leaving—he had some other matters to attend to, most of it revolving around the citizens. I understood where they were coming from, but I wasn't going to stay no matter what.

They didn't understand—they didn't _get it. _They didn't understand why I was so adamant against seeing the oldest Tashiro members.

I didn't want to see them. Ever. I avoided them like the plague. I absolutely _loathed _being within their presence.

Just as I left the room I had been occupying and had entered one of the large, more common hallways, I heard a relatively familiar voice calling my name and hurried footsteps. Blinking in surprise, I turned around to see a trio of people jogging lightly up to me.

"Fumie?" I watched as she stopped in front of me, the woman holding onto a younger boy's—Yoshito's—hand. Holding onto his other hand was a tall, slightly gruff looking man that I assumed to be Yoshito's father. I couldn't help but notice that they had the same beautiful green eyes.

"Thank goodness we were able to catch you before you left," Fumie gasped, trying to catch her breath.

"Nee-chan!" Yoshito exclaimed, letting go of his parents' hands to wrap his arms around my waist. He beamed up at me brightly, and I couldn't help but return his embrace.

Throughout the entire time that the rebellion had taken place, I had barely seen any of the citizens when they were awake. I had often checked up on them late at night, wondering if anyone needed anything, but other than that, it was usually Mana or Kaito who tended to them since they believed Cheryl, Al, and I needed our rest. Which was much appreciated, though not entirely necessary. When meal time came, I was too busy in the kitchen helping out to truly see or communicate with any of them, so it didn't happen. There had been instances, however, in which I had gotten glimpses of Yoshito and Arashi playing together. They had been absolutely adorable, and they looked like they got along immensely well. Arashi always spoke about his new friend, and it was entertaining as well as heartwarming to hear of such stories from my younger brother.

Laughing, I said, "Hey there, Yoshito. Long time no see."

He nodded his head vigorously. "But Arashi-kun talks about you lots and lots and lots! He talk about you soooo much that I think I've known you for sooooo long!"

"Is that so?" I grinned down at him, ruffling his hair lightly. "Sorry that I wasn't able to spend any time with you. And that I wasn't able to speak with you often, Fumie." I addressed her when I spoke my last sentence, offering an apologetic smile.

Shaking her head, she objected, "No, no. Please don't worry about that. On the other hand, _we're _sorry. We weren't able to do much to help."

"There wasn't much you _could _do," I pointed out to her gently. I smiled as I said, "It's not a problem at all. We're just glad that you guys are all okay and that nobody sustained any injuries. It's very relieving."

"Yes," she nodded her head in agreement. A gentle, but wide smile spread across her face as she said, "That's actually why we wanted to catch you before you left. We want to thank you so much for everything you've done for us. Although none of us that live in the town are hurt, we've noticed that you and your friends are bandaged up to the point where you all look like mummies. You all got hurt protecting us, and every single one of us in the town are thankful."

I could feel my face warming up at what she said, and I managed to give a slightly embarrassed smile. "It's fine. We're glad to be able to protect you guys. Everyone feels the same way. The reason that we exist is to make sure you guys are safe, so—"

"But you did the best you could," the man interrupted. His voice was deep and slightly hoarse around the edges, but it was so warm. His lips tilted upwards slightly at the corners as he planted his strong, steady gaze on me. "Your existence isn't meant to serve another. Maybe it's your duty, but you carried it through doing your absolute best. We're thankful for that. Everyone in the town is grateful that these strangers that they've never spoken a _single_ word to would risk their lives for them. And we wanted to convey that to you. And to your friends who did the same."  
><em><br>Your existence isn't meant to serve another. _His words rang inside my mind like chimes, echoing and echoing. It resounded, sinking into every fiber of my being. I felt my heart wrench inside my chest painfully. The feeling of being crushed invaded me. I felt like something inside of me shattered upon hearing his words.

They were words that opposed everything that I had been told, taught, imprinted inside of me.  
><em><br>Your existence isn't mean to serve another. _

A sentence. Seven words. That's all it was. A single phrase that contained seven words, thirty-five letters, and thirty-six characters.

Yet why did it make me want to cry?

I shut my eyes to hide the tears that unwillingly blurred my vision. I held Yoshito tighter to me for a moment, trying to recompose myself. I let out a laugh, but it wavered, giving me away. It made me want to hit myself, but my entire body felt a bit numb. I smiled through my slightly hazy vision at the tall man.

My voice came out slightly choked as I said, "No, thank _you_. Really. So much."

His lips only uplifted a bit more, but it was kind. Something like understanding was written across his face, and it confused me slightly, but I pushed it to the back of my mind as he asked, "Your name is Tashiro Kaori, correct? I'm Spencer Raphael. It's nice to meet you." He stretched out one of his hands.

Clasping his large, calloused hand in mine, I smiled at him and said, "Please call me Ivy. Believe me, the pleasure is all mine."

He had no idea how much I meant it.

Raphael gave my hand a squeeze. His olive eyes flickered to look over my shoulder for a moment before they rested on me once more. "I believe that we're keeping you. We apologize."

My head tilted as I looked at him in silent confusion, and he jerked his chin to gesture behind me. Turning my head to follow his gaze, I caught a glimpse of a ridiculously gorgeous male who had his back facing us, clearly trying to turn back to where he came from. However, I stopped him as I hollered out cheerfully, "Hi, Shiki!"

His body froze temporarily before he relaxed again. He half-turned to place his blank cerulean eyes on us. "I didn't mean to impose."

Fumie shook her head and smiled. "No, we're the ones who are sorry for keeping her. I'm sure you're all busy. Thank you so much."

Shaking his head, Shiki mentioned how it wasn't anything to be thankful about. I would've been paying more attention, but the little boy who had his arms still encaged around me whispered, "Nee-chan's friend?"

"Yes," I answered after a moment of hesitation. Although we were on friendly terms, I still wasn't quite sure where I stood with a lot of the vampires in the Night Class. I made a mental note to ask the maroon-haired model about it directly when I could.

A frown began to tug at Yoshito's lips. "Do you have to go now, Nee-chan?"

I looked down at him. "Yeah. Sorry, Yoshito. But Arashi's still going to be here, so maybe the two of you guys can still play together."

He looked dejected. "Will I see you again?"

"Definitely," I reassured him, ruffling his hair. I hugged him tightly for a few more moments before exchanging my farewells with Raphael and Fumie. When we were finished, I headed toward where Shiki remained near the wall, hidden slightly by the cover of the shadows.

The two of us began walking through the hallways, our footsteps in sync.

"Did you come looking for me because I took so long?" I asked him curiously, my eyes darting to the side in order to assess the aristocrat. It was probably the second since I had entered Cross Academy that I was completely alone with him, but I felt so incredibly comfortable. He made me feel at ease somehow. Perhaps it was because I knew, underneath his nonchalance, he was a very trustworthy and reliable person. I had witnessed that firsthand when he had saved me that day we went hunting for the Level Es in town.

"Yes," he answered. His blasé, barrier-covered eyes shifted over to me as he elaborated, "We were wondering if anything happened."

I raised my eyebrows at him in faint befuddlement. I had no idea what could have possibly gone wrong. After all, we were still within Headquarters, which meant no vampires except the ones we permitted were allowed inside. "What do you mean?"

"You don't get enough sleep," Shiki pointed out to me. It was all I needed to hear from him in order to understand where his area of concern was. His eyes shifted away for a moment, and he stuffed his pale hands into the pockets of his pants.

Something inside my heart warmed, and I ended up laughing. My teeth flashed as I said brightly, "Thank you so much for worrying, Shiki."

I felt incredibly happy at the thought of him even bothering to remember anything about me. After all, he was _the_Shiki Senri. No matter what, I had to admit that it was flattering to be within his presence itself.

He remained silent, not saying anything. But the quiet between the two of us was short-lived as we turned into the main foyer that had the main doors. Aidou, Ichijou, and Yuuki were standing together—the wavy-haired blond looked impatient and grumpy, the tall and green-orbed vampire looking relaxed, and the Kuran Princess looking just as solemn as usual, though there seemed to be a hint of relief on her features. The three of them turned to look at us as we entered, but they weren't the only ones.

"_Finally_!" Aidou exploded. I could hear him even though we were still quite a distance away. "Stupid woman takes so _long._"

I grinned upon hearing his comment, but the amusement on my features began to disappear as I caught sight of Zero striding over towards Shiki and I, a deep scowl twisted onto his face. I saw, before he blocked my vision, Yagari's exasperated look and Kaien's sheepish one. The silver-haired hunter's footsteps seemed too noisy in the room as he glided over toward me, emitting an agitated aura.

My eyebrows knotted together as we stopped in front of each other. "What's wrong? Why do you look so—"

"Where do you think you're going?" he interrupted me curtly.

Completely mystified, I could only blink at him for a second. "I'm... going back to Cross Academy." It came out sounding more like a question than a statement.

"You're supposed to stay here," he retorted. His gorgeous amethyst eyes were hard as he stared at me in a disgruntled way. "For the memory wiping."

"I know," I replied. Shifting my eyes away to stare off to the side, I confessed, "But I'm not."

"Don't cause any more problems, Tashiro," Zero stated. His eyes continued to burn holes into my face.

Not denying it, I said quietly, "Sorry. It's just that—I don't—" I stopped myself from continuing, shaking my head instead. Meeting his eyes with mine, I murmured, "I'm so sorry, Zero, but I just—I can't stay here if they're coming."

"_They_?" Zero's eyes narrowed.

I smiled at him sadly. "My grandparents. Look, Zero, you need to promise me something." I reached out and gripped onto his arm, looking at him very seriously. "No matter what they say to you, _don't_ let it get under your skin. I mean it. Everything that they tell you, every word that comes out of their mouth, _ignore it_."

We stared at each other in silence, a scowl marring his face while solemnity disfigured mine. I searched his eyes for some kind of sign that told me he would remember my warning, but I knew that Zero had good memory. He was also an excellent judge of character, so I hoped that nothing could go wrong.

Breaking the tension that developed in the atmosphere, I managed to smile at him. "I'll see you soon, Zero. Take care. And thank you. You were an amazing partner to be on the battlefield with. Seriously, it was an honour." Before he could say anything else, I brushed past the silver-haired hunter.

It took everything I had to not look back.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

And that concludes the sixteenth chapter of Heterochromia! -grins brightly- I HAD SO MUCH FUN WRITING THIS CHAPTER. I honestly don't quite know why; maybe it's because Trance was in it and he actually said something, or maybe it's because of the ZeroxIvy scenes, or because it had a ShikixIvy friendship moment ( I LOVE WRITING THOSE ) but yeah. I don't even. (x

I THINK THAT NEXT CHAPTER, KENTA MIGHT BE MAKING AN APPEARANCE. SO THAT WILL BE TONS OF FUN! I know that some of you guys really like him and have been wondering if I've forgotten about the onyx-haired human athlete, but alas, I haven't! He'll most likely be returning in the next chapter! HOHOHO. ;D

I apologize for any spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and OOCness that may have occurred in this chapter! ( I swear that there were fifteen sentences that made absolutely no sense when I was editing. OTL. )

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**Demonic Angel 7, Rachel Monroe, XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX, Tokine8696, scarsneverheal, luvJesusInHeavn, FangirlingDuck, Jade Starlight, MaMZg67, Simplicity-Shitsuboku, TheBrokenReflection, and xXMizukiXx**

Thank you guys so much for your lovely, thoughtful reviews! I appreciate them so much, I can't even express my gratitude properly!

Also, thanks to everyone that favourited and and alerted! (:

RESPONSES!

To **Demonic Angel 7**;

LOL, YOU DON'T LIKE AL? I think that you're the first person who's said outright that they don't like him! If you don't mind, want to explain to me why? I mean, I'm totally okay if you don't like any of my characters, but I'm honestly just purely curious. HAHA.  
>Damn, you have no idea how jealous I am that you don't need to work harder for your grades. I slack off so badly, it's not even funny. And I'm dying in my pre-calc class, I don't even... xD<br>I'm so glad you liked the last chapter!  
>Thank you so much for your continuous support, Demonic Angel 7! I hope that you thought that this chapter was awesome, too. ;D<p>

To **Rachel Monroe**;

The hunter IS Trance! I practically spazzed out about him whenever I could during my last responses and in the author's note. LMAO. I don't even. I love him to death. (x  
>It'll probably be a pretty long secret... I mean, there are so many secrets to come, still! HAHA. Nonetheless, I hope that you'll be able to hang in there with me in order to figure all of 'em out! (x<br>I TOOK ALMOST A MONTH TO UPDATE, I'M SO SORRY! BUT HERE, HERE! -gives you cookies-  
>Thank you for taking the time to drop me a review and tell me your thoughts; I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! (x<p>

To **XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX**;

YES! Really adorable. HAHA.  
>I-I'm glad you like it! Hooray for keyboard spamming! -cheers- Thank you, thank you~ (x<br>It's okay. I'm pretty weird, too. I have to admit, sometimes acting insane is really fun. I mean, not ACTUALLY insane, but y'know. Flailing and wailing and such. Maybe it's just me? -DIES-  
>LMAAAAAAAO. LOLOLOL. -DIESDIESDIES- I CAN'T EVEN. AIRRR. WHAT IS AIIRRRRRRRR?! DUDE. You're so hilarious, I don't even... LOL. I died reading your review. I reread it so many times 'cause that line about Trance is just so. LOL. I can't even. It made my day, seriously. Thank you. LOL. And I totally agree, but Trance is fourteen. LOL. So, y'know. I think that he'd grow up into some amazing badass bishounen. -starry eyed-<br>I've never read that, but I have it on my list to read! Having you talk about it makes me want to read it even more! XD  
>I PROBABLY WON'T BE WRITING ABOUT AL AND VIOLET FOR THE LONGEST TIME. -SLAPPED- BUTBUTBUT... -hands you cake- HERE!<br>YOUUUU. Ahmygod, I love you. You're too funny for me to handle. LOL.  
>I hope to hear from you againnn! Thank you so much for your continuous support and your hilarious reviews; I hope you enjoyed this chapter just like the last one! -grins-<p>

To **Tokine8696**;

I KNOW; updates are lovely, yes? (x  
>LOLLLL. It's like I can hear you guys calling out to me to update! I'm so glad that you were happy about the update~ It makes me happy to hear people telling me I made the happy by updating. -feels important- xD<br>HOHOHO! I love both of the relationships; Trance and Ivy's as well as Al's and Violet's, but I'm probably more excited to write about Trance and Ivy's. Maybe it's just because I know exactly what it's like and everything, but ADFSDNOBEb.  
>I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, Tokine8696! Thank you so much for always encouraging me and for taking the time to drop me a review and share your thoughts! I appreciate it! (:<p>

To **scarsneverheal**;

My ego just went up, like, five million notches just by reading that first sentence. ASDFGHJKL. And then it inflated even more as I continued to read on. LOL. STAAAHP, YOUR PRAISES WILL MAKE ME TOO ARROGANT.  
>But damn, thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! You have no idea how touched and happy and flattered I am. It honestly means so much to hear something like that from others, and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Thank you so much. Seriously.<br>HAHA. Well, it's a ZeroxOC fanfic, and Ivy's definitely the OC I'm talking about. (; There's no way I'm letting anyone else but Ivy take Zero away. LOL. -SLAPPED-  
>ASDFGHJKL. I'm happy that I was able to evoke such emotions from you with my writing, but at the same time, I feel bad that I made you feel that way. LOL.<br>I finally updated, so I hope you like this chapter just as much as the last! Thank you so much for your amazing and touching review, and I hope to hear from you more often! (x

To **luvJesusInHeavn**;

ASDFGHJLK! Him carrying her was totally planned by me before I even started the story. LOL. -DIES- As was Trance's arrival. HOHOHO!  
>I finally updatedddd! And man, I'm probably not going to be talking about Al and Violet's relationship anytime soon at all, although Trance and Ivy's will probably be revealed bit by bit as the story continues now that he's finally been introduced. XD<br>Thank you so much for always supporting me; you have no idea how much it means and how thankful I am! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter just as much as the last! ;D

To **FangirlingDuck**;

AHMYGOD, YOUUUU. YOU KILL ME ALL THE TIME WITH YOUR REVIEWS. LOLLLL. YOU'RE HILARIOUS. The "OH MY POSIEDON" part had be laughing. I don't even know why, but ahmygod. -DIES-  
>Love Trance. Love, love, LOVE him.<br>LMAO. I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN. DUDE, DID YOU READ THE LATEST CHAPTER? I WANTED TO PUNCH HER IN THE FACE. ARGH. I hate her so much. Like, I was hoping that as the series wore on, I'd like her better or at least have my hatred dim down, BUT IT'S THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE. I just end up hating her even more than before. -FLIPS TABLES-  
>I hate writing about her and Zero's relationship, but I have to because she's so important to him and I want to make this realistic, but every goddamn time she comes up in my fanfic I'm like, "WHYYYYYY?!"<br>ASDFGHJKL. Lydia might take a while to be introduced... BUT SHE WILL BE. At some point. XD  
>Thank you for your amazing and hilarious reviews, FangirlingDuck! You have no idea how much it means to me. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter ( even though Yuuki's in it... again. -SLAPPED )! (x<p>

To **Jade Starlight**;

For a moment, I was so scared, but then I read on and I was grinning like a maniac. OTL.  
>I love Trance so much, I don't even know how to express how much I love him. LOL. I mean, I adore all my characters and all, but... -sighs- I probably won't be mentioning Violet again for a while, but it definitely doesn't mean I've forgotten about her! XD I hope that you look forward to getting all those questions answered! (x<br>ASDFGHJKL, thank you! I try my best for that!  
>LOL, thank you! But what happened next really isn't all that amazing. ASNBONWEOB. It's totally anti-climatic, and I'm sorry if it disappointed you! ASVOEAWNBOWNBWOAEB. T_T<br>Nonetheless, I hope that you weren't totally crushed with this chapter, and thank you so much for your continuous support and encouragement, Jade Starlight! I love hearing from you! (:

To **MaMZg67**;

Well, I'm so happy that you love it so much! ZeroxIvy, definitely! -nodsnodsnods-  
>LOL. Trance is... I can't even. I love him to death. No words can even describe it. I'm glad that you seem to like him a lot, too! HAHA.<br>ASDFGHJKL. To be honest, I'm more excited to write about Trance and Ivy's relationship rather than Al's and Violet's, but then again, I'm totally biased... xD I probably won't be mentioning Violet anytime soon, though. OTL. I won't forget about her, though! HOHOHO.  
>Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me and taking your time to drop me a review! I hope that you enjoyed this latest chapter of Heterochromia! (x<p>

To **Simplicity-Shitsuboku**;

RIGHT? I planned it to be, but I had no idea if it really was as sad as I hoped. LOL. I guess it was? (x  
>Of course they do! I love hearing from everyone. I'm sorry that you have to type yours on your phone, though! OTL. I know that I hate typing  texting on the phone, too. -sigh-  
>Definitely. But Ivy... She's... YOU'LL FIND OUT. (x<br>Thank you so much for always supporting me! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter, too! ;D

To **TheBrokenReflection**;

IT'S THE FIRST TIME HE WAS INTRODUCED, BUT YESSSSS! I'm so happy. LOL. FINALLY.  
>Ahmygod, I can hardly wait until I can actually get into Trance and Ivy's relationship. That chapter is going to be so, SO far into the future, but ASDFGHJKL. I'm so excited for it! And YES, that's who Cheryl was referring to in the other chapter! HAHA. Al and Violet's relationship... I probably won't be mentioning it again for a long while, but it'll be revealed. Eventually. HAHA. Everything shall be answered in time. -cackles evilly-<br>Aww, thank you! I didn't really know I was being mysterious, but NONETHELESS. -BEAMS BRIGHTLY-  
>Zero. ZeroxIvy. ZEROXIVYYYY! I don't even. xD<br>LOL, thank you, thank you, thank you! To be honest, I really love Ivy's relationships with everyone. Like... EVERYONE. I don't think that there's one character whose relationship with Ivy is one that I don't like. Except... Actually... I can name quite a few people, BUT MOST OF THEM AREN'T CANONS. MOST. Her and Aidou make me smile. Her and Shiki make me melt in a "Their FRIENDSHIPPP!" kind of way. xD  
>I'm so glad that all my characters are in character, though. I always worry that they're not. OTL.<br>YOUR PRAISESSSS. ASNBOAWENBOWABMPAWEV. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Damnit, you're amazing. -DIES-  
>Thank you so much for your lovely reviews! You have no idea how happy I am to have your support. SERIOUSLY. I wait for your reviews. -SLAPPED- But anyways... -clears throat- I finally updated, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter, too! (x<p>

To** xXMizukiXx**;

LOL, WHAT? It's fine, it's fine! (x  
>YESSS. TRANCE. I spazzed out to, like, everyone that it was him which probably totally ruined the surprise and all, but STILL. URGH. I can't even. I love him to death, I DO.<br>NOO, WHY WOULD I BE ANGRY? LOL. Nothing you said needs forgiveness! You're entitled to your opinion; I love hearing your thoughts, no matter what they are! xD I love Al and Ivy's relationship together as well, and who really knows how Al feels towards Ivy, right? I mean, I do, but for y'all... -grins- You'll have to see~  
>I probably won't mention Violet for a long while, but still. LOL. (x<br>I KNOW, I KNOWWW. I planned it perfectly, eh? EHHH? -winks-  
>Ugh. In all honesty, I hate Yuuki so much. And having to write about her and Zero is so painful for me because I have to make her out to be the love of his life even though I hate that. LOL. -DIES- So every time she enters in one of my chapters, I throw my hands up in the air and I'm practically wailing, "WHYYY?"<br>;OO! WAIT. LOL. What about Ivy in the previous chapter suddenly got you so frustrated? I'm so curious! I went back to the previous chapter and I reread it and I was like, "WHAT HAPPENED?" because I didn't know what she did. LOL.  
>I know, I know. I feel like a jerk asking people difficult questions like that, but thanks for trying! -BEAMS-<br>I finally updated again, so I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! Thank you so, SO much for always sticking by me and always giving me your support! I hope to hear from you this time, too! (x

END OF RESPONSES.

G-Guys... I don't even know how this is possible, but I can't NOT reply to a single one of you... LIKE, I DON'T EVEN- LOL. You guys are just so amazing that I have to end up writing walls of text to each and every single one of you.

I'M SORRY IF LOOKING AT THAT MAKES YOUR EYES BLEED. ASDFGHJKL!

But I'm so happy and so touched with all your reviews and they all NEED me to respond to them, and I WANT to respond to them and- WNGOWANVPWv. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! You honestly have no idea how much I truly appreciate you guys taking the time to share with me your thoughts. (x

Thank you guys so much for attempting to answer the previous chapter's question! I KNOW, I KNOW. I ask you guys questions that are pretty hard to answer, but that's what makes it fun... right? -SHOT-

This chapter... Well;

**QUESTION: Do you think that the pacing of the story is too slow, just right, or too fast? ;O!**

Please tell me your thoughts in a review or a PM! (x

In the seventeenth chapter... KENTA WILL BE RETURNING! -throws confetti- So to those of you who love him, I hope you guys are looking forward to his reappearance! -grins-

I've missed writing about him, so I'm pretty exciteddddddd!

I'll definitely be updating again sometime in December, since December 20th is Heterochromia's one-year anniversary! I will DEFINITELY be updating on that day; I don't even care how much homework and stuff I push aside. I WILL be updating on that day... my time. Like, in my country and in my timezone and... Okay. Yeah. (x

This time... I PROMISE I will update on that day. So I hope that you guys look forward to it! (x

As always, please drop me a review and tell me your thoughts! Until next time, yes? -beams-

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	17. Marionette Doll

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters. All rights go to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N: **

HI GUYS! Today's update is really special because...

-drum rolls-

It's Heterochromia's _**one year**** anniversary! **_YAAAAAAAAAY! (x -throws confetti around and streamers-

It's a really big deal because I know that I wouldn't have gotten this far if it weren't for you guys; I wouldn't have continued this story unless I had gotten enough feedback and support, and I _did_. And it's amazing. And YOU guys are amazing.

I'll skip the long, long speech and summarize things for you guys in a small, short paragraph laced with so much sincerity that I honestly can't even express it all.

**Thank you guys. So much. **I wouldn't be here, able to type a message celebrating a one-year anniversary for a story I had written and posted online, if you guys were there for me. I love hearing from you guys, I love knowing you guys read my stuff, and I think you guys are all amazing and wonderful. Every time I write, I'm elated, because I know that someone out there is going to read it and enjoy it. And I can't even express to you guys how thankful and grateful I am to each and every single one of you. Thank you.

In SUPER SHORT form?

I love you guys and y'all rock my socks. (x

Andddd, even though I said it was supposed to be short, it's still actually really long. LOL. So I'll skip anymore talking and let you guys enjoy the chapter!

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN;**

_"Marionette Doll"_

* * *

><p>Ichijou's cheerful voice filled the somewhat tense air in the car as we drove back to Cross Academy. He was seated shotgun, but since we were all vampires, we all heard him well. It gave off the impression that, despite being rather far away from Shiki and I who were in the back, he was still addressing every single one of us. But I was only half-listening to what the kind blond was saying because I was too busy trying to figure out <em>why <em>the atmosphere felt so heavy.

My eyes zoomed in on the Pureblood that sat diagonally across from me. She looked like she was trying hard to focus on Ichijou's words, but her dark eyes ignited intuition in me that said she was elsewhere. They seemed blank, like she was spacing out. Yet the sadness in them was evident, like it always seemed to be.

It wasn't the first time that I realized everyone seemed to have such miserable eyes.

"Ichijou-san," Aidou eventually interrupted in a voice laced with irritation. When the said blond looked back at the cerulean-eyed aristocrat curiously, Aidou grumbled, "Just...stop talking." I saw in the rear-view mirror that his sapphire orbs had darted over to rest on the oblivious Pureblood princess meaningfully before meeting Ichijou's eyes again.

Emerald eyes followed Aidou's gaze, and I noticed that they seemed to soften even more than usual upon seeing the solemn expression on her face. Somehow, Ichijou managed to smile and look like he truly meant it. "Isn't it better than riding back to the Academy in silence, Aidou-kun?

"What, do you think talking is going to help?" Aidou asked incredulously, his chin resting in his hand, his arm propped up against the armrest. Reflected in the mirror were his intense, warning eyes.

"Perhaps," Ichijou replied in an optimistic tone. Smiling kindly at Aidou, the older vampire pointed out, "Silences make one feel a bit lonely, don't they?" It was obvious that everyone else was also feeling the heaviness that had settled in the car. It bothered me slightly that everyone seemed to understand _why _it was there, yet I was completely left in the dark about it. Needless to say, they were beating around the bush.

"_No_, are you—"

My eyes darkened as I interrupted them, speaking for the first time since I entered the car. "... Why is it so tense between everyone here?" It was blunt, quiet, and it seemed to freeze everyone—every_thing_—in the suffocating vehicle.

For a moment, nobody moved. Their eyes merely flickered over to rest on me, exasperation and incredulity in Aidou's eyes while surprise but warm, gentle amusement seemed to be in Ichijou's. Shiki's eyes, although so impassive and nonchalant, felt a tint of curiosity in them. Yuuki looked startled as she faced me, her expression one that made her look like a deer caught in headlights.

Aidou was the first one to recover himself. "Are you an _idiot_?" he hissed at me, a scowl marring his beautifully handsome features. "Read the atmosphere, Tashiro!"

I blinked at him before staring back at him unflinchingly. "I _am _reading the atmosphere, and I noticed that it's been tense for the longest time. I'm curious as to why. I mean, did I do—"

"Ivy-chan," Ichijou interrupted me kindly. When I met his gaze, he merely smiled at me. It seemed tainted with just a smudge of sadness, though there also seemed to be a happy sparkle along his lips as well. It was an expression that baffled me. "Forgive me if this sounds rude, as I don't intend it to be, but you seem to get along much better with Kiriyuu-san now compared to before."

His words were like a slap in my face. Immediately, understanding dawned on me. Something like horror washed through me as my eyes instantly flashed over to rest on the Pureblood, only to have her crimson eyes clash with mine. Hers widened, and she opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off before she could say anything.

"Zero and I—we're..." I struggled to find the right words. In fact, I felt like I was fighting just to breathe. I didn't know what to say, or how to say it.

And there was a very simple reason for that.

"I don't know," I admitted honestly, my voice quiet. "I don't know what I am to him, if I'm anything at all. If I had to put some kind of title on our relationship, I'd say we're tentative comrades. Siblings bound together by different parents due to our duty as hunters—well, that's just how I see it. I don't intend to—I mean, I don't have any—he and I aren't—" I shut myself up, hating the way I sounded so flustered by the question.

My face felt a bit too warm for comfort.

Her beautiful face seemed surprised as she scrutinized me, but after the initial widening of her ruby eyes, they narrowed just slightly. Pain faintly decorated her features as she stared at me intensely. The words seemed strangled out of her lips as she said, "What relationship you and Zero have isn't something that you need to identify for me, Ivy-chan. It's not something that I should be concerning myself with."

Something similar to hurt and frustration intermingling into one emotion began to throb in my chest. Before I knew what was happening, the words just slipped out of my mouth. "How can you _say _that? It's obvious that you and Zero are—" I stopped myself as my mind finally comprehended the look on her face the moment I had spoken. It was like every word that I said was ripping her apart, and I realized that she didn't deserve it.

It hurt her to say it. It pained her to know that her relationship with Zero was so different from how it was when they were human. She was suffering, just like how he was suffering. And as livid and as exasperated as I was with her—_and_ Zero—I couldn't help but feel _compassion_. I knew that it distressed her. I knew that it agonized her. I knew just how much torture could be caused by words.

And I knew that I couldn't break her like that.

Shaking my head, I let out a soft sigh. "Never mind. I'm sorry. I had been stepping out of line."

She turned away from me slowly, stiffly. In a barely audible voice, she murmured, "No, that was my fault."

Nobody spoke a single word on the way back.

* * *

><p>"You <em>actually <em>came back?" Kaito's deep, smooth voice was slathered with disbelief as he entered the kitchen, spotting me sitting at the island with a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. I had left before him because he needed to take care of some more business at the Association, and had told me it would take a while—not that it would have taken me much to get out of that place anyways.

"I can feel the love that you have for me, Kaito. Really." We both rolled our eyes at each other when I finished my sentence, but with the smile on my face and the slight tilt of his lips, it was obvious that no harm was done.

I pushed the plate toward him as he took a seat across from me. "Here, have a cookie."

"Yeah, thanks." He picked one up and took a big bite, munching on it and swallowing quickly. He finished the first one in the blink of an eye, reaching for another immediately. However, despite the fact that he was practically inhaling the sweets, he was regarding me with a somber expression on his face.

Curious, I blinked at him and asked in slight amusement, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

The tawny-haired hunter made sure he swallowed before he asked, "You know you're not supposed to be here, right?"

I met his mesmerizing hazel eyes for a moment before I let my attention be taken by the granite island top. Picking a cookie off the plate, I assessed it for a moment before I took a bite and admitted, "I know. I'm supposed to be back at the Association helping with the memory wiping because the President is required to know the technique."

Kaito's gaze could've pierced through my skull with its intensity. "So?"

"So what?" I finished the sweet treat, taking another one. I realized that I probably should've made oatmeal ones while I was at it—I loved those.

"So why _aren't_ you there?" Kaito elaborated, his strong eyes not letting up. I could tell there was some kind of scrutinizing glint in his orbs as he said, "It's not unusual for you to do whatever the hell you want, but you _do _realize that it'll jeopardize your chances of becoming the next president, don't you?"

"Good," was my immediate answer. A grin graced my face as I met Kaito's eyes with my own. "That's what I was hoping for."

His eyebrows pulled together slightly for a moment, a downward tilt pulling at the corner of his lips. Hazel eyes probed green and yellow ones for a moment before he let out a soft groan. Throwing his head back, he ran his free hand through his disheveled, wavy locks of hair and remarked, "Oh, _fantastic_. What kind of ridiculous idea do you have _this _time?"

I laughed, his words reminding me of what Yagari had said when we had been discussing the debates a few weeks ago. Their phrases were so similar, I couldn't help but notice how much of Yagari's personality rubbed off on Kaito. "It's a simple thing, really. I don't think you can even consider it an _idea_."

"You don't want the damn position, do you?" Even though he asked me, the tone of voice that he used told me that he already knew the answer.

"Nope," I confirmed, popping the "p."

The twenty-two year old hunter ran a hand up his jaw, which was sprinkled lightly with a night's worth of stubble. I couldn't help but take a second to admire his good looks—I was sure that girls would kill to see him do such a thing. He sighed and muttered, "I should've known."

"Yeah, you should've," I teased. "I mean, come on, Kaito. Do I _really_ look like the type that can run Headquarters? I'd probably end up neglecting all the paperwork. It's so _boring_."

"That's true," he agreed with a soft sigh. However, his hazel orbs retained their intensity as they rested on me. "But there's more to it than that, right?"

My heart thumped a bit harder in my chest. For a second, a flash of panic shot through my system as I stared at him, both dumbfounded and alarmed. The thought, "_How does he know?" _immediately popped into my mind, but I tried to smooth my facial expression over. "What do you mean?"

Kaito's eyes narrowed a fraction before they darted down to rest on the counter. His tone was casual as he stated, "You avoid your grandparents like the plague, Ivy. Don't look at me with that surprised expression—everyone notices it. But it's not just you. Satoshi and Lydia hate it when they're brought into conversation, too. What's the reason behind it?"

The blood in my veins seemed to freeze everything along the way, a numb sensation taking over my body straight away. Panic and horror merged together into an atrocious feeling that settled deep in my stomach, the red alarm bells in my head ringing. My heartbeat seemed to thunder inside my ears, the pain in my chest tight and suffocating.

My mind immediately told me it was time to retreat. It began closing itself off, pulling itself away. It tightened the thick chains around the black box that rested unforgotten in the dark recesses of my mind. Blinds were pulled, covers were brought out, locks were clicked into place. It happened so naturally after so many years that I hardly even realized it had happened. It was like an instinct—my mind would just instantly withdraw. It was a defense mechanism that I was only vaguely aware of unless I was focusing on it.

Eyes darkening, bitter lemon and lime eyes stared at my interlaced fingers as if they were the most fascinating things I had ever seen. They clutched at each other tighter, a rigidity in my body that was solemnly present. In a quiet, forcefully calm voice, I said, "Don't ask me that."

"Why not?" The handsome hunter spoke in the same hushed volume, the same serious note singing in his tone. Once again, I felt like holes were being burned into my skull as he rested his strong, steadfast eyes on me.

I inhaled, shutting my eyes lightly. "Because I don't want to talk about it." A pause. "And I'm not going to lie by saying something like, 'It's nothing, everything is okay' because, as you're already aware, it's not."

Tension suffocated the air between us. It hung thickly around the room, the weight of it causing stiffness and rigidity in both Kaito and my postures. It was a stifling, uncomfortable silence that had me wishing that it'd just disappear. I could feel his eyes resting on me, scrutinizing me, contemplating what to do next. I kept my eyes shut, willing with all my might that the atmosphere would lighten up.

It didn't surprise me that everyone was conscious of the fact that I tried to spend as little time with my grandparents as possible—it was a known _fact_ that Tashiro Kaori did _everything _in her power to steer clear of them. I didn't bother hiding it. Nobody had ever called me out on the reasons why, though. It was like an unspoken rule between all the hunters that nobody was to question anyone of the Tashiro family about it.

Maybe that was why I was so alarmed and so shocked at what Kaito had said. He had been the first person to break that silent understanding. I supposed that I wasn't so much as shocked that he knew something was up, but at the fact that he brought it out into the open in such a blatant and straightforward manner. However, I had to admit that I had to appreciate and respect him for it—I always wanted to hear directly what people's genuine thoughts and feelings were, and by asking me that question, he was expressing just that.

I was close with Kaito. Despite everything that had transpired between the two of us—despite my confusion regarding his feelings about what had happened years ago during the controversy, despite the unresolved disputes that we often had, and despite the frequent clashing of our opinions—I still loved him like he was an older brother.

And it was because of this that I couldn't drag him into an even darker world.

Sighs left both our lips simultaneously, and my eyes blinked open to see him starting to lean back against his seat. His tall frame began to relax itself, the action automatically forcing my own body to follow his lead. Instantly, the mood seemed to brighten, the dark heaviness starting to lighten up.

When Kaito spoke, it was as if the tension hadn't even existed in the first place. "I heard that Aoyama has been concerned about your well-being."

"Kenta?" Surprise coloured my tone. My mind flashed over to a memory of the sweet, shy student with the stormy grey eyes and bed-head. A smile stretched across my face upon remembering his kindness, and warmth flooded through me that he cared enough to even think of me during the entire commotion.

"Yeah." Kaito swiped another cookie off of the plate. "From what I heard, he's been wondering what happened to you for the past couple of days."

A small chuckle left me. "It sounds just like him to be worried about someone else when _he's _the one he should be concerned about. He's fine, isn't he?"

"Should be," the skilled hunter answered. "I was told that nobody in the Academy got hurt, human or not. The kid should be fine, though I'm sure he'd want to see you to confirm that you didn't just die in a ditch somewhere without anybody noticing."

"You make my death such a magnificent one." The tone of my voice was drenched in sarcasm. I glanced outside at the sun beginning to peak through the horizon, signaling the beginning of another day. I had witnessed numerous sunrises in my life due to my insistence of getting as little sleep as possible, but the warm splashes of colour and the breathtaking sight never seemed to dull.

Kaito yawned, ruffling the wavy locks of hair on the back of his head lightly. He blinked his eyes to get rid of the glassy glaze that had enclosed his hazel orbs for a moment and stated, "I'm going to get some shut-eye. I feel like I've been awake for weeks. How do you stand being so exhausted?"

"I got used to it," I shrugged. Offering him a reassuring smile, I promised, "I'll wake you up when it's almost time for classes to start. You _do _realize that your nap is only going to be an hour long, right? And that's pushing it."

"At this point, I don't even care how long I get to sleep as long as I get some of it," Kaito muttered. He slid off the seat, walking over to wash his hands before turning to the door. He stretched his arms above his head, yawning once more. "Wake me at the last possible moment, would you? It's alright if I'm a bit late."

A grin stretched across my face. "Is that something a teacher should be saying?"

"Shut up, you know you would do the same if you were me," Kaito pointed out. He left the room then, his quiet footsteps resounding through the rather vacant dorm. I couldn't help but smile at the place where he had just been, happy that nothing had really changed.

I ended up waking Kaito up a little bit later than I had intended to, resulting in the tawny-haired hunter being around fifteen minutes late to his class. He had been grumbling the entire time he was rushing around to get ready. I had heard some mumblings of throwing me in a tank full of sharks, as well as some mutterings of murdering Satoshi the next time they met. It was an amusing sight to behold, I had to admit. The hunter had gotten ready so quickly, it was amazing. After he left, I spent the majority of my time reading and doing some paperwork in the Day Class building's library. I went back and fixed myself some coffee—making sure to make Kaito a thermos—and also one of hot chocolate for Kenta before I made my way over to where the Day Class students had their classes.

A sigh left me as I leaned against the wall outside the classroom that the ordinary student was in. I was a bit early, and through the relatively thin door, I was able to hear Kaito's smooth voice droning on about things that I was sure nobody really cared about.

My mind was full of things that I didn't really want to be involved in. Something heavy seemed to rest on my chest when I realized that the meeting for the presidential position would be taking place soon—_too _soon. Knots formed uncomfortably in my stomach whenever I thought about seeing their faces once more. To be pierced by their cold, merciless eyes. To hear their mildly raspy voices speaking words that made me want to cover my ears to block them all out.

Unconsciously, my hands fisted.

Not keeping track of the time, I jolted a bit as I was broken out of my reverie by the deep bass of the bell. I blinked as, a few moments later, the door was swiped open and students began filing out. But as the first of the mob exited, they stared at me with wide eyes and slightly open mouths, stopping the students behind them as well.

"Y-You're..." A male brunette stammered, pointing at me. His dark brown eyes glittered when the light hit them, his straight teeth flashing with every word he spoke. Whispers began to waver in the air, along with some louder voices from the students in the back, questioning what the holdup was.

I couldn't help but laugh a bit. Smiling at him, I finished, "I'm Ivy. It's nice to meet you."

"We—of course we know who you _are_," an onyx-haired beauty said as she stared at me with wide eyes rimmed with thick lashes. "But why are you...?"

"Is Ken—"

"Ivy-san?!" His familiar gentle voice exclaimed my name, and I straightened myself just as the tall sun-kissed athlete managed to squeeze out of the crowded doorway. His gray eyes were bright as he stared down at me, his dark hair just as disheveled as it always was. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but he shut it just as fast, an embarrassed look crossing his features when a few of his classmates began their not-so-subtle teasing.

Looking so shy with a flushed face, I couldn't help but beam up at him. His innocence was so endearing. He wasn't like most people I was surrounded with—unlike Zero, Kaito, or anyone that I had spent a lot of time with lately, he was so timid and adorable. It was a change that I welcomed, and it was very refreshing to be with Kenta once more.

Deciding that he probably wouldn't be able to get a word out without any help since all the students were still around, I offered him a wide smile and said, "I'm relieved to see that you're fine, Kenta." Holding out the silver thermos bottle that I wasn't drinking out of, I said, "I wasn't sure if you like coffee. I hope that hot chocolate is okay?"

If possible, his face turned an even deeper shade of crimson as he gazed down at what I was offering him. "T-This is... for me?"

"Aside from you, I'm not quite sure who I could be giving it to," I told him with a small chuckle. "But if you don't want it, then—"

"No, no!" he exclaimed, his soft voice coming out more loudly than anyone had expected. Many people jumped in surprise, and I merely stared up at him. His ears coloured, and he rubbed the back of his neck, shifting his eyes away. "Sorry, that was a bit loud. I'm happy. Thank you, Ivy-san." He gingerly took the thermos from my hand with his.

Before I could respond, Kaito's voice was heard from the inside of the classroom. "Oi, oi, why are you guys blocking the entire hallway like—" he stopped his sentence as the students moved out of his way, giving him a clear view of me. His hazel eyes immediately darkened, and I saw one of them twitch just slightly. He let out a sigh, "Ivy."

Surprise shot through me as I stared at him. We had never really gotten deeper into the whole conversation about whether or not we were going to reveal our familiarity with one another in front of the Day Class students, but then again, it _had_ been established that it didn't really matter. It was just so unexpected that, for a moment, I was left speechless. I had always thought that he would've preferred it to remain unknown, since it seemed less bothersome that way. But I realized that in the time that I had spent with the tawny-haired hunter at the Association, although unnoticeable at first, _did _impact our relationship in some way.

A smile spread across my face. "Kaito."

Exclamations of surprise and murmurs rippled through the students, all of whom were startled upon hearing us address one another so casually. Even Kenta looked down at me with surprise and confusion plastered along his handsome features.

Leaning on his forearm against the doorframe, Kaito ran a hand through his hair, rumpling the strands in the process. His voice sounded tired, and it showed in his eyes. There were dark crescents underneath his dark orbs. "Any reason why you're here causing me more problems?"

Reaching for the third thermos that I had placed on the ground next to my feet, I tossed it at him, watching as he caught it swiftly. When he looked at me, I grinned at him and said, "You look horrible. From what I know, you've got a bit to do today. I already helped out with some, but I ended up getting distracted. I figure that you'd need the coffee. It's the kind that you like."

A frown instantly tugged at his lips. "Who said you could touch my stuff?"

I rocked back on my heels lightly, admitting, "Nobody. _But _you know that you're glad I did it, deep down somewhere. You're tired, right? I want to help, even if it's a little bit."

Our eyes locked for a moment as silence settled between us, but it only lasted briefly before he sighed again. "Jeez. You better not have done anything wrong, brat."

"That's mean, Kaito!" I protested. "Have a little faith in me, will you?"

"Yeah, yeah," he monotonously dismissed, looking away. "Is this all you came for?"

"How conceited. I came here for Kenta—it just so happens that you guys are at the same place," I teased, laughing when he slanted me a glower.

"You cheeky little—"

Grabbing onto Kenta's arm, I dodged out of Kaito's reach, pulling the baffled student with me. My teeth flashed as I beamed at the hunter. "Don't work too hard, Kaito. See you later—and don't worry, it's a promise!"

"What are you—" Before he could finish his sentence, I had already disappeared with Kenta as we rounded the corner at the end of the hallway.

"You know Takamiya-sensei?" Kenta asked, sounding somewhat stunned as I let go of his arm.

"Yep," I answered easily. "We've known each other since we were children. He's always looking after me. He's like an older brother."

"Is that so?" Kenta murmured, a thoughtful tone entering his voice. His smile was as gentle as it always was as he commented, "You guys must be very close, then."

He had absolutely no idea. Kaito was always there. I had known him since the moment I had been born. As Satoshi's best friend, he practically lived at our house during our childhood days. Undoubtedly, he had witnessed too many embarrassing moments for me to even count, but then again, I could say the same for him as well. We had made numerous memories throughout the years, and though we had drifted from one another during the years after the incident, our relationship was mending now. It was getting closer to how it was before, back when I was just a normal hunter like everyone else.

A smile adorned my face without me even realizing it. "Definitely. I can't imagine how I'd be without him—he was a major influence in my life when I was a kid. I think it wore off, though." My body stiffened slightly at the last sentence. Once again, the words had slipped out and I hardly even realized it. The filter in my mind wasn't working as well as it used to.

My lips thinned slightly, eyes narrowing a fraction.

Luckily, the sudden tension in my body went unnoticed by the obsidian-haired human beside me. A pensive tone decorated his voice as he commented, "I can tell that the two of you get along very well."

Laughter left my lips as I tried to push the twisted thoughts back to the corners of my mind. Amused, I looked at him, curiosity in my eyes. "It's rare that someone says that about us. Most people assume that we _don't _get along, since many say that our personalities seem so different. What makes you say the complete opposite?"

More blood rushed to his cheeks, and he stared down at the floor when he spoke. He cupped the back of his neck with one hand, a gesture that I had noticed him do often when he was nervous. "It's just that... I've never seen Takamiya-sensei seem so relaxed and at ease when with someone other than Kiriyuu-san. Throughout the entire day, everyone's been talking about how Takamiya-sensei voice seems so dull and exhausted during the lessons, but when he spoke with Ivy-san, it seemed... more full of life? T-That's a bad way to describe it, but... I think that when I heard him so speak so unguardedly with you, it was when I thought, 'Ah, they must cherish one another.'"

I blinked for a moment upon hearing his explanation, my eyes drilling holes into the side of his face. I tried to stifle my laughter by covering my mouth with a sleeved hand, but it obviously didn't work as Kenta shot me an embarrassed, "jeez, don't laugh at me" kind of look.

"Sorry, sorry," I apologized with a chuckle. "It's just that the last line makes it sound like we're in love with each other or something." Which was definitely _not _true. It wasn't like I didn't see Kaito as a man, because I did—I mean, there were numerous times that I admired his good looks, but there wasn't that special romantic connection between the both of us. And from the way he acted, it was obvious it was a mutual thing with him. We never needed to speak to each other about it, because it never really even crossed our minds until other people brought it up.

"T-That's not what I meant!" Kenta immediately objected, somewhat flustered. "I-I mean 'cherish' as in—"

"I know what you mean, Kenta," I laughed, nudging him lightly with my elbow. "Don't worry so much about it." Taking a sip of my coffee, I glanced at him again to see him doing the same with his hot chocolate. "So how have you been these past few days?"

And as I talked with him, the hours seemed to fly by. We spoke about trivial things, but that was only after we managed to catch up on everything that had happened. Or, well, he told me what happened with him—I ended up telling him I had important matters to attend to, and when he asked me what they were, I grinned and said it was confidential information. By the time we separated, it was already nearly six in the evening. We said our goodbyes and arranged to meet again tomorrow before Kenta's basketball practice, and then he left to go back to the dorms while I headed back to the building that classes were held in.

I stopped in front of the classroom door, hearing a sigh behind it. Opening it up, I met Kaito's unsurprised eyes with a smile, entering the room and closing the door as I did so. He was sitting at his desk with piles of papers on either side, a pen held in his slender hand. The thermos of coffee I had given him was placed within his reach.

He placed down the pen he was holding and reached for a small sheet of paper that had folds on it, throwing it at me. I managed to catch it, glimpsing my printing on the white note as he said, "What's with this?"

Written on it was a promise that I'd come by later to help him with his paperwork, and I merely laughed as I placed it into the recycling bin. Stopping as I reached the front of his desk, I picked a pile of stapled sheets off his desk and made my way to the long student table in front of his, plucking a red pen from his pile as I did so.

"Hey, I never said—"

I looked up at him from the test that I was looking over, and smiled. "I can't sign any of the Association paperwork, and that's probably your priority right now, right? Even though you can't leave your school stuff undone, either. I can mark a few tests, Kaito."

A heartbeat. Two. "How like you," was his resigned mutter.

A chuckle left me, but I didn't give him a retort as I looked back down at the test. Luckily, the subject wasn't history, because I would've been completely and utterly hopeless if that was the case. It was chemistry, something that I was good in, so it made marking much easier.

We worked in silence for a while, the only sounds being the rustling of papers, the scratching of pens, the occasional sighs, the soft breathing. It was a comfortable atmosphere, another change that I welcomed. I had gotten so used to the stiff, heavy air during the rebellion that while this kind of environment was a bit strange, it was still pleasant.

"Ivy."

I finished marking the question I was on before I looked up at him. "Yes?"

His eyes remained trained on the document he was reading, his pen sliding along the paper as he signed it. He paused for a moment, placing it aside to a completed stack before taking another one. He met my eyes just long enough for me to see the faint emotion in them before they rested on the papers again. "Thanks."

All I could do was smile.

* * *

><p>Blearily blinking my eyes, I reached up to wipe at the wetness that always clung to my eyes and cheeks when I woke up after sleeping. I couldn't stop the sigh that escaped me as I stared down at the dampness that glittered in the light as it hugged the back of my hand.<p>

Tears. As usual.

Wrinkling my nose as I wiped it all away, I stretched my arms above my head and turned to look at the clock. My eyes nearly popped out of my sockets, and I immediately stumbled out of my bed, rushing to the bathroom. I decided that I would shower later as I splashed my face with cold water in an attempt to wake myself up, doing everything that I needed to do. I changed into casual clothing that consisted of a navy blue t-shirt with a light grey cardigan over it and a pair of faded jeans, making sure to grab everything that I needed before I stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen.

After grabbing the coffee pot off the holder, I poured myself a thermos of it and added the cream and sugar before I ran to the door, slipping on my boots and my trench coat on hastily before bursting out of the dorm. I was impatient the entire time on the ride to town, a jittery and uneasy feeling in my stomach.

It was the day of the stupid debate—two days after I had come back to Cross Academy after the rebellion—and I was _really _late. I had planned to be a bit tardy, I had to admit—I didn't want to be there early and have to wait as people filed in. I was going to say what I had to say, and I needed everyone to be there. I was _not _going to repeat everything again for those who had missed it. However, I told Kaito to wake me up when he was leaving so that I wouldn't be late enough to miss the meeting, but the tawny-haired hunter didn't—

"I'm really sorry, and thanks so much! I really appreciate it!" I exclaimed to the driver, tossing him a wad of money. He probably needed it in case he got a ticket—the gentle man had been speeding for my sake, since I had looked like I was in such a hurry.

The elderly man smiled at me kindly, an action that I returned with a bright grin, and I exited the car. I didn't waste any time as I ran up the front steps of the Association Headquarters, rapidly punching in the security system code and opening up the door. When I entered, hardly any hunters were present in the hallways, but I wasn't surprised. The debate was supposed to be a huge deal, and I was sure that if it weren't for the fact that some people had to remain in order for the Association to function, everyone would be participating in it.

Practically running through the corridors—dear lord, I hoped that I wasn't too late—I flew past the few hunters that _did_ remain. Their eyes burned into me as I passed them, their low mutterings audible to my ears, though I ignored them.

As I neared the room that it was being held in, I could hear my grandfather, Tashiro Iwao, speaking. His voice sent the blood in my veins running cold, dread sinking deeper into my core. My body instinctively tensed itself as if I was anticipating an attack, but I forced my feet to continue moving. My lips thinned, eyes narrowing as I tried to block out all my thoughts, all my feelings upon hearing that familiar voice. I wanted to do nothing more than to pivot on my heels and turn away, but I knew that I couldn't. No matter how much I didn't want to see them, I knew that avoiding them entirely would be impossible.

Not to mention I couldn't let them snatch the position away from Zero.

Just as I gripped onto the large handles of the towering oak double doors, the image of a fair-skinned brunette with sad crimson eyes flashed in my mind, her hair flowing around her as she smiled at me.

I almost choked.  
><em><br>Don't, _I hissed to myself. _Don't think about it. _

But she was one of the people that always seemed to haunt me. They wouldn't let it go, I knew it—they would look at me with accusing eyes, wondering why. They would hate me, despise me, yell at me.

At this point, it was a routine.

Steeling myself for anything they would throw at me, I burst through the doors as I let the thoughts return back to lingering in my mind. Immediately, the talking in the room stopped as all eyes simultaneously shifted over to me, the sound of the doors being slammed open still echoing through the ridiculously spacious room.

My eyes swept through all the familiar faces of the hunters in the Association. In that sea of people, my eyes found Satoshi and the rest of EX5 sitting near the front. My older brother looked incredibly solemn, his eyes darker than usual. Yet as they landed on me, they seemed to lighten with amusement and faint surprise. Cheryl gave me a look that asked if I was insane, while Al merely leaned back and smirked, a knowing look on his face. Junko looked startled as she blinked her wide eyes at me, and Nao's ruby orbs were mildly exasperated as they met mine.

Trance was nowhere to be seen, but somehow, that didn't surprise me. He hated getting involved in such affairs, and I had to smile when I realized that Lydia wasn't in the room, either. Satoshi probably convinced her to stay away, knowing that she would cause a racket when she was supposed to be listening.

As my eyes shifted to the people in the middle of the room—the entire space looked like a courtroom, though the seats for the audience were encircling the middle tables in which the main people in the meeting would speak—they landed on the two sitting figures at one of the grand mahogany tables.

With the signature Tashiro eyes, my grandfather's entire being could freeze hell over. When his orbs met mine, I could see all the emotions in them so clearly. Although it didn't show on his blank facial expression, his eyes were set ablaze with hatred. With cropped dark grey hair and a muscular build despite his age, Tashiro Iwao looked just as strict and cold as he seemed.

Sitting beside him was Tashiro Glenda, her dyed obsidian hair pulled into a tight bun at the back of her head. She had hazel eyes, as she wasn't born into the Tashiro family, and they hardened into solids as she flat-out glowered at me. I could see her shaking slightly, her hands clenching into white fists, her body tensing. The distaste was plain on her face. I could practically see her bristling at me. I knew that if we had been alone, her pale, thin lips would've pulled into a snarl. I was surprised at her reaction—it wasn't one that I was used to. Normally, when she laid her eyes on me, chaos would erupt. I had prepared myself for it, and I was left a little floored when her usual insanity didn't occur.

But as my eyes took in her dilated pupils and her abnormal posture, which was less prim and proper than usual, I understood.

My heart thumped harder in my chest upon seeing them, the blood running through my body dropping to a freezing temperature. I could feel my lips automatically tightening, eyes darkening with unpleasant emotions. Sinister feelings crept up along my chest, and for a moment, I was blinded with red. I bit down on my tongue to keep myself from swearing, inhaling deeply in an attempt to calm myself. With effort, I tore my eyes away.

Yagari had a hand covering half his face in incredulous exhaustion, while Kaito had let his head drop to stare up at the ceiling in what seemed like a mixture of exasperation and dull incredulity. Kaien stared at me with a mixture of different emotions dancing along his face, but he seemed more startled than anything else. Kaien and Yagari sat on either side of Zero, who merely met my eyes with his lavender ones. His usual scowl deepened as he saw me, his eyebrows pulling together a bit more.

Silence for a few heartbeats as everyone's eyes bore into me, waiting for something. I could only imagine what they saw—a short seventeen-year-old female vampire hunter who, ironically, was a vampire, standing with completely disheveled hair and clad in casual clothing that did _not _suit today's event. It was a horrible impression, and judging by the looks on their faces, they knew that I knew it.

"Hey there," I started, breaking the silence. The tension was thick enough to suffocate someone. I turned and shut the doors, taking that brief second to muster all my composure, and turned around with a smile. Bowing, I introduced with forced delight, "I'm Tashiro Kaori. Nice to meet everyone. Sorry I'm late, I overslept."

"Ivy, what the hell do you think you're—" Cheryl's furious outburst was muffled by Al, who covered her mouth with a hand. He and Satoshi began to restrain her flailing arms, but her cerulean eyes were screaming messages at me.

They told me I was digging my own grave by being here.

I tried to give her a reassuring smile that I hoped looked confident.

"Tashiro Kaori." My grandfather's voice was clipped, every syllable spoken sharply and coldly. It was a voice that made me want to crawl into a hole somewhere and never come out. Yet, in front of so many people, I refused to flinch as his eyes met mine.

"Hi." Strained. Forced. I cursed at myself for sounding so obviously affected. Instantly averting my eyes, I entered the room further until I was standing by the mediator from the High Council of the Association, who was situated at the front of the two tables. I glanced down at the woman and asked, "So am I really late, or did this just start?"

"Please take a seat, Kaori-san," came the woman's calm response. She gestured over to the spare chair at the table where my grandparents sat, but I didn't even give them a glance.

"No thanks, I'm fine standing," I rejected lightly. "I guess it doesn't really matter where this meeting is at, but it's where they get to talk about why I'm so great for this position, right?" Without waiting for a response, I beamed brightly at the hunters and said, "Well, I'm here to tell you why _Zero_is the best candidate for the position."

Murmurs began to wave through the hunters as they stared at me incredulously, clearly questioning if I was insane or not. I understood why they looked at me like that, though—it was odd. Most people _wanted _to become the president, as it meant that they had complete control over what happened. They would be able to bend rules and do things their way, though there was a set limit to just how far they could go. Nonetheless, it was a position that held an incredible amount of power.

"_Kaori_—"

"As a candidate," I cut my grandfather off without even giving him a spare glance, "I believe that I have a right to speak." I didn't wait for his response as I continued, "First of all, just so that this is out there, I'm _withdrawing _from this election or whatever you want to call it."

"You don't have the right to," the mediator said, her voice ringing through the room.

A smile graced my face as my eyes slanted down to meet hers. My voice was light, but quiet when I spoke. Even so, I knew that the hundreds upon hundreds of hunters in the vast room were able to hear me crystal clear. "I will do _anything _to get myself disqualified from this. Frankly speaking, I don't care at all what I need to do. Even if it means burning this place to the ground, I'm not going to become the president." Sincerity laced itself within my words, and I was sure that everyone heard it, because everyone stiffened.

"I am _not_ suitable to become the Association President, and anyone who has been around me long enough will unanimously agree. Nothing about me is president material. As you can see, I came in late to this because I overslept. Honestly, I loathe paperwork. It's boring and dull, and I try to avoid doing it if it's possible. I despite formalities. I forget things easily." Hands clenching at my sides, the smile absentmindedly slipped off my face as I spoke. "If anything happens, I don't have the power to protect everyone. On the contrary, I'm sure most of you know it's the complete opposite. _I'm _the one who needs to be protected, who needs to be taken care of. As President, one of the top priorities is to keep everyone in line. However, it's also the president's job to make sure everyone is safe—to make sure that nobody is harmed if possible. I can't guarantee anything. I can't save you guys if you need me, because chances are, I'm going to be in a pinch myself and I won't be able to get out of it without someone's help."

My grandparent's gazes burned into my skull as they stared at me. They were so cold, so full of intense hatred that I almost shuddered.

"As I'm sure you all know, I skipped out on the memory-wiping that I was supposed to be part of after the rebellion ended," I started, my eyes fluttering through the throng of faces. None of them were happy or cheerful, but rather just as serious and grave as mine. "At that time, I was one hundred percent aware of the fact that I was obligated to stay. I ignored it, and I'm conscious of the fact that it was irresponsible of me. I'm not going to lie and tell you that I regret my actions or that I reflected on it, because believe me, I didn't. During the rebellion, Zero had my back. I wouldn't be _alive _if it wasn't for him. I can't even count with both my hands and both my feet how many times he saved my life during the ambushes."

I tried to conjure up all the instances in which he had shot a vampire before it managed to sink its claws into a vital area, or how many times he had purposely aimed a shot in a particular area to alert me of the vampire lurking there that he couldn't get. I remembered how he had protected me when we had been running though the town that night—how his arm looked shredded because he had to carry me, how he pulled me out of the way of oncoming obstacles so that I didn't get stunned and started lagging behind.

A soft smile was on my face, but I was hardly aware of it. "He's reliable and he's strong. He has what it takes to protect everyone around him. He never half-asses anything. If he does something, he's going to do it the best of his abilities. It might not seem like it, but Zero's extraordinarily kind. Even though we're both vampires and hunters, I found him amazing as I got to work with him. There were numerous times in which I was left in awe at how precise he was, how swiftly he moved, how he seemed to be aware of every single thing around him. It was an incredible honour to be able to be his partner, because he made _me_ better, too. I'm sure that anyone who's ever worked with him would agree. His skills are ridiculous—it got to the point where I began to wonder if it was possible someone like him even _existed_." I tilted my head to catch said vampire's eyes, and I laughed a bit upon seeing his darkened scowl.

Clearly, he didn't want to sit here and listen to someone praise him. It was obvious that the commendations were making him uncomfortable. I knew that he thought differently—he thought he was despicable, someone _un_reliable, someone that _wasn't _able to protect. It frustrated me so much that half the time, I wanted to rip my hair out. He wasn't able to see what everyone else saw, and there was nothing I wanted to do more than to shove him in front of a magical mirror and show him.

"But Zero's here. He's real. Someone as incredible as him is _right here_, just waiting to work with everyone for a better Headquarters." Sincerity laced into my voice as I spoke, my voice soft yet bright. "Don't you guys think it'd be a waste if we were to dismiss him?"

Nobody spoke as my words wrapped around them, cloaking them, sinking into them. Their eyes shifted over from me to the pale lilac-eyed hunter, who didn't return their gazes. He merely stared at me, his lips thinned and pulled into a deep grimace. I could only smile at him, hoping that he believed, even if it was only a tiny bit, of what I said.

The atmosphere was lighter than when I had first entered, the dark tension turning into a contemplative and pensive tone. Another few breaths later and slowly, whispered discussions broke out between the hunters. They murmured with one another, and I was complacent as I picked up on the positive things they were saying about Zero. It wasn't as if they were badmouthing me, but they agreed with what I had said about the silver-haired hunter.

"Isn't this," my grandfather's curt, glacial tone had the room immediately silencing, "an example of Kaori's immense charisma? She's able to easily persuade others into seeing what she sees. Headquarters is in need of a president that is able to—"

"'Immense charisma'?" I repeated, dark amusement laced into my voice. I laughed, but it sounded a bit off, even to my own ears. It probably killed him to say something like that. "For argument's sake, let's say I _am_ immensely charismatic. Yet what does that make Zero? Charismatic to the point where it's off the charts? It's not like I'm bribing anyone here—there's been no underhanded methods used. However, the fact that I'm able to persuade everyone so easily without using such techniques means that you guys know it's _true_. Would you agree with me if you were sure I was lying? Would you really ignore your judgement and your instincts just because someone like _me _is telling you otherwise?"

I scanned their faces as I answered for them, "_No_. That's not how hunters think. We trust our instincts, our gut feelings. If you believed that Zero was horrible, you wouldn't switch your opinions about him simply because I talked about him in a positive manner."

I took a sip of my coffee before I said quietly, "Just because he isn't super social doesn't mean he's not a magnificent leader. It's true that Zero doesn't speak a lot. But when he does, everyone shuts up and listens intently, like he's sharing his darkest secret. _That's _charisma."

Glancing at the clock, I took note of the time. I had been here for a bit over half an hour, but I felt like I was reaching my limit. Being in the same room as my grandparents for longer than thirty minutes was too much for me—I felt nauseous, and it got harder and harder to ignore the way they looked at me. The way they spoke to me. It made the dark feelings within my heart to stir even more fiercely. It was approaching the point where it was getting harder to contain those feelings. I knew that no matter how much self-restraint either party had, both sides were reaching our limits.

If I didn't get out of here in the next five minutes, the rubber band was going to snap.

Trying my best to stop myself from lashing out, I decided that I was going to conclude my long, boring speech. "I'm done. That's all I came here to say, really. All I can hope for is that you guys realize who the right choice for the position will be. The ingenious hint that I can give all of you is that it's _not me_. Think about what I said. Think about Zero and everything he's done up to this point. Think of what _I've_ done up until this point—where I've been these past years, what I've _actually _accomplished. If you really take a moment and think deeply about it, you'll realize the complete and utter difference between the two of us. And that should be your answer."

I tried not to let my own words affect me as I turned to face Zero. Memories threatened to consume me as my previous years tried breaking out of their locked box. My heart wrenched in my chest as I thought about it, a second of vulnerability allowing the sheer terror to zap through my system.

Refusing to let anything show on my face, though I was sure I failed miserably, I manoeuvred over to stand in front of Zero. He stared up at me with hair falling into his captivating eyes, and my lips automatically stretched upwards into a genuine smile. From the looks of it, he was fine. I was worried the last few days, wondering how he was handling my grandparents. But looking into his amethyst eyes, it was clear that he had been defiant and aloof.

I managed to laugh, but it wasn't like anything was funny. I was just relieved. Beaming down at him, I said, "I'm rooting for you, Zero. I really hope that you become President." I met the eyes of the rest of the men that sat at the table, and grinned. Walking backwards so that I was able to see them as I inched towards the exit, I said, "I'll be seeing all four of you back at the Academy!" Whirling around, I walked past my seated grandparents, whose eyes calculated my every movement.

The oldest Tashiro reached a hand out just as I passed by, hoping to stop me. Already knowing that it'd happen, I prepared to shift out of the way, but it was proved unnecessary when an arm shot out and wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me into the smooth wood that separated the audience from the presenters. A familiar scent invaded my nose, and I smiled at the exotic-eyed hunter.

He pulled me tighter to him for a moment, a grin on his face. "Your hair's a mess."

"I underestimated your idiocy," Nao's icy voice muttered.

"You were cool," Junko's gentle voice whispered excitedly, encouragingly.

Cheryl shoved Al's arm off of my shoulders and grabbed onto the front of my shirt, giving me a menacing look. "We're having a talk later. No excuses." I wanted to point out that she had said that numerous times over the course of the past few days, but it had never happened. But I kept my mouth shut, because I knew that it wouldn't matter what I said.

Satoshi smiled at me gently when Cheryl let me go. Stamping a kiss on my forehead, he hugged me close before whispering into my ear, "Get out of here as fast as you can. I'll try to keep them busy."

"Thank you," I told him earnestly, smiling back. Without another word, he let me go, giving me a soft push towards the door. Just having been embraced by my friends and brother made me feel more at ease as I swung the doors open and left, letting them shut softly behind me. I made my way down the empty corridors of the Association, willing the tight sensation in my chest to go away.

I had to remind myself not to think about it, but all that succeeded in doing was bringing the subject back to the surface of my mind. At some point earlier, I had stuffed my spare hand into my pocket, and I pulled it out now. I unfurled my stiff fingers with effort, my eyes taking in the slight tremors that shook my hand. Immediately, I clenched my hand back and stuffed it into my pocket once more. I squeezed my eyes shut, biting down on my tongue as I tried to calm myself down.

Even though they hadn't even touched me, I was still reduced to a mess. They weren't even like how they usually were—they were a million times more civil, more normal, than I was used to. Despite that, despite the appearances they put up in front of others, I knew. Every single cell in my body knew. It was engraved into me. Everything about how they were really like was imprinted into me.

"Ivy-chan!"

I stopped where I was, swallowing the lump in my throat. My mind shouted at my body to stop being so tense, to stop being so affected. But it wasn't working, because even my mind was rattled. Nonetheless, I smiled slightly as I pivoted on my heels to see Mana come to a stop in front of me, carrying an Association clipboard with her. "Hey, Mana."

She blinked upon seeing me. Her eyebrows pulled together over her periwinkle eyes, concern flooding into her features. "Are you okay, Ivy-chan? You look paler than usual."

"Don't worry about it." I avoided her eyes. "Did you need something?"

The younger hunter didn't look very convinced or anything, but she didn't press on the subject, which I was grateful for. "I was actually going to call Cross Academy, since Kaito said that you wouldn't be coming to the meeting. Speaking of which, how was it?" Innocent curiosity tainted her voice, and I struggled not to give her any of the uncivil answers darting around in my mind.

"It was fine," was my standard answer. Blinking at her, I digressed away from that topic. "Why do you need to contact me, Mana?"

Holding up the clipboard in her hands, she gave me a smile that looked comforting. I wanted to thank her, because she obviously knew I wasn't okay. Yet I could only manage to give her a grateful look. "I'm sure you know about the annual training camp for the adolescent teens who are going to take the upcoming official hunter exam. You've been selected as one of the instructors this time."

I nearly choked on my own spit, surprise colouring my features. "_Me_?"

"Yup!" she agreed enthusiastically, almost as if she didn't see anything wrong with what she just said. On the other hand, I saw a _million _things wrong with it.

"Are you kidding me? I'm a horrible teacher. I can't explain things clearly even if my life depended on it. You're talking to a girl who failed her mock examinations _six_ times and would've failed the _actual_ test if I had gotten even half a point off. Do you _really _think I can—"

She giggled, her beautiful eyes sparkling with amusement. "Yes, we're all aware that you're horrible with dates and other historical aspects of the training course. But since you've participated in them before, you know that there's more to it than just studying. Your combat skills would be appreciated and a great asset."

My eyebrows furrowed together as I stared at her. "It's usually the older members of the Association who instruct and run this program, though. Why did they select me? Most hunters would feel uneasy, leaving their children with me as their teacher."

"The rebellion left enormous damages," Mana reminded me in a murmur. "To the towns and to the Association itself. A lot has been going on, so most of the adults are needed to carry out the repairs and discussions."

In a way, I guess it made sense. Curiously, I asked, "Who else is going to be participating in this?"

She flipped a few pages over the top of the clipboard and listed cheerily, "Gin-kun, Nakaoka-san, Nao-kun, Trance-kun, Kiriyuu-san, and you are listed to be part of the team leading the teens."

Hearing the familiar names, I once again felt like I had gotten slapped. My heart twisted in my chest upon hearing Trance's name. "I... don't think I should go."

"Don't say that!" Mana scolded, giving me a stern look. "You're going whether you like it or not. These kids need your guidance."

"Mana..." I gave her a look. "It's not like they're going to die if I'm not there." I was sure that Trance didn't want to see me. I didn't want him to be forced to be within my presence if it pained him. Albeit I had to admit that I felt a sense of pride in my heart upon hearing that he was good enough to be a mentor to other people around his age. He made me feel so proud to be his sister, to be related to him in some way, even if he wished otherwise.

Shaking her head, the onyx-haired beauty pleaded, "Please?"

"With such an elite group already, I'm not needed. Everyone there is amazing. They can teach the kids anything and everything they need to know."

"Ivy-chan, everyone has a different way of doing things, right? Maybe you have tips that the rest don't, or it's possible that you'll spot things that they'll miss. Isn't it better to help this group of people polish up their skills rather than staying at the Academy?"

"Well—but—I don't—" I stopped. _She got me. _I sighed in defeat. "Okay. When is it?"

Her grin was wide. "Everyone's supposed to gather at the Association and go to the usual mountain together on Sunday night. But two people are supposed to go earlier to set everything up, so I was wondering if Gin-kun and you'd—"

"_Yes_," I interrupted eagerly before she could even speak. If it meant that I didn't need to meet at the Association, where I _knew _my grandparents would be, I didn't care what I had to do. And besides, I worked well with the aforementioned hunter.

Mana laughed. "Okay. I'll let Gin-kun know. The two of you are to meet on Saturday at nine o'clock in the morning. Meeting at the cabin would be the best place, right?"

I agreed with a nod. After confirming a few more things, the two of us waved and said our goodbyes as she hurried to find the other members who would be helping me run the training camp. I watched as she disappeared from sight before I continued along my way back to the Academy.

Although I never expected to be a leader at the training camp, I had to admit that I was a bit excited.

Somehow, I left the building with a slight upward tilt of the lips.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

DONE. This chapter was a bit longer than usual, and I guess it's because Christmas is around the corner, but I really doubt I'll be able to write a chapter in five days and have it actually turn out decent. ASDFGHJKL.

I love Ivy and Kaito's relationship. Ahmygod. Seriously.

And Yuuki was in this chapter. Needless to say, I wanted to punch walls and flip tables. I don't even know why I do this to myself. OTL.

There was nothing super monumental about the chapter despite it being the anniversary chapter, and for that, I'm so sorry! I thought about timing it so that I would be revealing some special or epic chapter every time I hit some big mark, like year-anniversaries, but I never got around to it. OTL. Life just gets in the way and screws everything up, and for that, I'm sorry. ASDFGHJKLSBWEvPWEC.

On the bright side, KENTA'S BACK! YAY! I adore him. (x

I apologize for any grammar mistakes, spelling errors, and OOCness that may have occurred during this chapter! D;

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**luvJesusInHeavn, Demonic Angel 7, XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX, Tokine8696, scarsneverheal, Ficchii, Anemos, Fangirling Duck, xXMizukiXx, and XXTakaraXX**

Thank you so much for telling me your thoughts on the previous chapter, I honestly appreciate it so much.

Also, thanks to everyone that alerted and favourited!

And I'm sure you guys know what comes next, right?

RESPONSES!

To **luvJesusInHeavn**;

LMAO. I'm like that all the time for, like, everything. I know how you're feeling, yoooo. XD  
>I'm glad that you liked it! (x<br>ARGH, TRUST ME. YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO GOT SUPER ANGRY. You have no idea how much I honestly wanted to punch her. Like, if I could, I would've reached through my monitor and just decked her right in the face. It wouldn't have even mattered if Zero destroyed me later; she deserves to get hit. -FLIPS TABLES- My violent side is showing. OTL.  
>I'm so excited to reveal what happened between Ivy and her family members, but it's probably not going to be shown anytime soon. ASNVOWENOWB. Nonetheless, I hope that you keep supporting me! (x<br>I LOVE ZEROXIVY. YES. I'm hoping that I get to write more scenes with them together soon. HOHOHO.  
>THANK YOUUUUUU! I'm so happy to have your support for everything! It means a lot. (:<br>Also, thank you for always taking the time to write me a review and share your thoughts with me! It makes me happy. XD I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter!

To **Demonic Angel 7**;

Ahhh. Yeah, definitely. Al's confident. xD I wouldn't say he's ARROGANT, though. There's a difference between the two, but yeah, he's bordering between them. HAHA. I'm not surprised that's the reason, though. I know a lot of people who dislike confident people as well, but I also know many who find it sexy. LOL. I don't even know.  
>And thank goodness. I'm glad that you think the pacing is decent! I was fretting over it for the longest time.<br>Thank you so much for always dropping me a review and reading my work! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia! (x

To **XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX**;

ASDNVOAWENOBWBV. I KNOW. I'm sorry that it makes your eyes bleed with so many walls of text. LOL. I should probably cut down on my responses.  
>LMAO. Sorry it's been such a long time!<br>You do? At first, I was so hesitant to name him that. But then I tired another name and I hated it. The only name that I got the "Oh, it fits!" kind of vibe was Trance, so ta-daaa! I'm so happy that you like to; to be honest, it grew on me, too. xD  
>BLOODY. ANOBNWOEABNOAB. I dislike blood and gore, BUT I'LL ROLL WITH YOU ANYWAYS.<br>Good point. I'm okay with cliff hangers, but goddamn. I hate Yuuki to the depths of... Dear lord. Seriously. And yeah, the Shiki and Rima thing was REALLLLY weird. Like, the two of them just randomly popped up outta nowhere. I have no idea why they're working with Kaname now. It makes no sense. At all.  
>LOL. He's back in this chapter, but it's brief! No worries, though, 'cause he'll be making an appearance in the next chapter! (x<br>THANK YOU! I'm glad to know that you think the pacing is alright! I was worrying that I was taking it too slowly or something, but I guess not. Thank god. xD  
>HAHA. I love Raphael, and I plan to have more of him in the story. -beams-<br>YES, FEAST YOUR EYES ON MY FANFIC BEFORE THE WORLD ENDS... -dies laughing- I can't believe it. It's hilarious how freaked out some people are. I mean, c'mon. Even if the world ends, it ends. You're gonna be dead anyways, what does it matter?  
>WHY THANK YOU! You flatter me to such high extents. xD<br>And thank you so much for taking the time to send me such hilarious and amusing reviews that always make my day! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter ( WITH KENTA DELICIOUSNESS )!

To **Tokine8696**;

ASDFGHJKL. Your praises are inflating my ego. LOL.  
>Trance and Zero are rather similar, but at the same time, pretty different. I love their relationship. xD<br>I'm glad to know that you think the pacing is okay! I always feel like I'm going too slowly, but I can't imagine this going any faster than it is. ASNGONWEO. Zero's just too nonchalant... and to distrusting. OTL. But from the feedback I got, I'm more confident about the pacing. Dear lord, your compliments are making me so warm and fuzzy on the inside. HAHA.  
>Thank you so much for taking the time to send me such thoughtful and kind reviews! It means a lot to me and warms my heart. HAHA. I hope that you enjoyed the ( not exactly super monumental ) one-year-anniversary chapter of Heterochromia! (x<p>

To **scarsneverheal**;

FANGIRLS, YAAAY! xD I'm glad that you enjoyed the ZeroxIvy scenes, though! I had a blast writing them.  
>Ohgod, arrogance practically DEFINES Trance. LMAO. You'll definitely be seeing more of Trance; I think that he's going to be the Tashiro sibling, aside from Ivy, that you see the most out of everyone else. xD<br>NOASBNOWANPB. I'm so happy that you love this story so much! It's so touching to hear this from you!  
>Aw man. Dude, I feel like I'm just going to see it update, get angry, facepalm, and decide to put off reading it for another time because I can't- ASDFGHJKL.<br>HAHA. Well, I finally managed to get this chapter up, so I hope that you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for telling me your thoughts! ;D

To **Ficchii**;

I'M SORRY! LOL. I didn't know that updating would have that affect on you! Now I feel bad that you got punished. ASDFGGJKL. I hope that it wasn't that bad, though. And dear lord, I hope that you didn't do something like that this time, too! xD  
>LMAO. ZeroxIvy... My feels. I don't even. I love them. -sighs- I swear that I was fangirling while I was writing the chapter, and I'm the author, man. LOL.<br>Thank goodness. I swear that every time I read a review telling me the pacing is decent, I sighed in relief. xD And YEAH, THAT ALWAYS HAPPENS! It really bothers me when the romance gets rushed. It's one of my pet peeves, and I guess that's why I'm always so cautious about it now. xD Thank you for the compliment, by the way. (x  
>I'm hoping to update Shitsuren before December ends... Hopefully before Christmas, but no promises. ASDFGHKJL.<br>Thank you so much for your support and for telling me your thoughts! It means a lot to me. I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! (x

To **Anemos**;

WELCOME BACK! I haven't heard from you in a while. xD How have you been? (:  
>And are you referring to the "Do you want to die?" part? It was more like an honest question more than anything else, it wasn't a threat kinda thing. xD<br>The relationship between Trance and Ivy is... delicate. Incredibly so. I'm not really sure if I'd say that it's like Ichiru and Zero's, but I guess that they DO have some similarities to one another now that you point it out... I can't wait to reveal everything. Dear lord. xD  
>I haven't forgotten about the visits to EX5 at all! There's just never been a moment to talk about it... yet. (x<br>It doesn't seem quite like her to do something like that, eh? Ivy's odd. And complex. And I love her to bits because of all of that. HAHA. I don't know how to describe how Zero sees Ivy, or the way I imagine him seeing her. I could tell you what he was supposed to be thinking while he told her that, but I feel like that ruins the effect of things. ;_;  
>HAHA. Yes. Zero and Ivy get along better than Ivy and Trance. For now, at least. But then again... who really knows? ;D<br>HOHOHO. Ivy's grandparents... The mystery behind her relationship with them will be revealed along with everything else in bits and pieces scattered throughout the story, so I hope you look forward to it!  
>Thank you so much for your support! I'm happy to have heard from you again! Hopefully, you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia. (x<br>P.S.  
>YAY. Pacing being decent is an accomplishment. -grins-<p>

To **Fangirling Duck**;

I'm not looking forward to this month's chapter. Or next month's. Or the month after that's. I just want to know how VK ends... In all honesty, I don't even know why I'm following it. It pisses me off SO much.  
>HAHA, he probably does. But the thing is, Trance is pretty complicated. He's super arrogant and he's cold, but there are reasons for it. Although that doesn't justify his words and actions, I suppose.<br>I hate her. Including her in any of my stories is painful and angering. Why the hell is she so important to Zero? -FLIPS TABLES-  
>LMAO. ASNDVONWEOBAW. Dude, you have no idea how much I want to just jump right into the romance part where they're both in love with each other and are all lovey-dovey. But clearly, it won't be happening for a long time. A long, long time. I'M SORRY. IT PAINS ME, TOO.<br>KENTAAAAAAA! -beams- His appearance in this chapter was short, but he'll be in the next chapter... I think. HAHA.  
>I don't even know how to respond to that. LOL. Uh, thank you? I mean, I'm happy that my writing has some impact on people's lives, but dang, girl. If you needa shower, you should go shower. The chapter isn't gonna run away. LOL.<br>I'm hoping to update sometime soon! I have no idea when and no promises, but still! XD Look forward to it!  
>Thank you for always taking the time to write me a review and read my stuffffffff! And for being hilarious and awesome. LOL. I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! (x<p>

To **xXMizukiXx**;

HEY, WELCOME BACK! ;D  
>Trance, Trance, Trance~ I want to write about him more.<br>Do you really? LOL. I'm kinda surprised. Ivy wouldn't want you to feel bad for her, though. And Ivy doesn't hate Trance. At all. In fact, Ivy totally loves Trance. LMAO. It's just... their relationship is so strained. The reasons will be revealed later! ;D  
>Why thank you! HAHA. Yeah, Trance is the Tashiro prodigy. He's a genius and all. -grins-<br>I love writing the ZeroxIvy moments. I always grin when I'm typing away. HAHA. I'm hoping that doesn't make me sound totally pathetic or anything. -DIES- And do you mean her grandparents or her actual parents? ;O 'Cause her actual parents died. ;_;  
>Is it a good kind of frustrating or a bad kind? -SHOT-<br>Aww, thank you! You have absolutely no idea how painful it is for me to write scenes with Yuuki in them, but I always needa do it. Argh. Anger. And it sucks, 'cause she has to be NICE and I have to write keeping in mind that Zero LOVES HER, and... Ugh. Hatred. LOL. PAINNN. I'm glad to know that I'm able to write her decently despite my sentiments towards her, though. (x  
>I LOVE SHIKI. I can't imagine not having him in a VK fanfic anymore after Shitsuren, either. LOL. Plus I love his relationship with Ivy; the fact that he was the one that saved her that day in town with the Level Es during her attack definitely formed some kind of special bond. -grins-<br>Violet probably won't be mentioned for a whileee. I won't ever forget though! You'll have to wait for answers -evil cackling- I hope that you'll stick with me until the end~  
>LMAO. I would, but then again, that'd ruin all the fun speculations, right? -winks- (;<br>I'm glad to know the pacing is alright!  
>Thank you for always taking the time to share your thoughts in such lovely reviews! It means a lot to me. Seriously. I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia! (x<p>

To **XXTakaraXX**;

Uh.  
>Okay. o_o<br>Thanks...? LOL. (x

END OF RESPONSES.

I didn't intend for this to happen, but by the time I actually manage to post the chapter, it won't be December 20th anymore. ASDFGHJKL. It'll be December 21st. I'm not sure if this is better... or worse. LOL.

Sorry, guys! I said that I'd have it up, but then my computer wasn't working and then friends kept bothering me and family... And I took a nap 'cause I was so tired after school. -SLAPPED SO HARD- I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY! ASDNGOAWENBOWANEVPNP.

But yeah... there really isn't much to say. I'd make some kind of joke about the world ending, but I don't have one in mind right now. LOL. I love hearing people talk about it and hearing about it; I mean... really? Man, hilarious stuff. (x

Thanks for the feedback for last chapter's question! I'm glad to know that the pacing is okay! ;D

**QUESTION: What's a random fact that you'd love to know about Kenta? ( Just for the fun of it, be creative! HAHA. )**

Christmas is around the corner! It's so approaching so fast! I probably won't be able to update Heterochromia in time for Christmas, and I'm not sure about New Years. So in case that I don't, I hope that you guys have a wonderful Christmas full of love and laughter and joy! I hope that you guys get to be surrounded by the people you love and are loved by in return, and that you guys eat lots of yummy food! Make sure to bundle up to keep warm and to remain healthy! (x

Early "Merry Christmas!" to everyone, and also an early, "Happy New Year!" I hope that as 2012 comes to a close, you guys will continue to support me. You guys have no idea how excited I am for the upcoming year; looking back on the past twelve months... Man. xD

I love you guys! Have a magnificent holidays, guys! (x

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	18. Touching Heartstrings

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters. It belongs solely to Matsuri Hino. And I don't own Pocky.  
><strong>

**A/N:**

Well, HEEELLLLLLLLLLLLO, everyone! (:

It's already almost mid-January, I can't believe it. The start of a new year, blahblahblah. I've heard this so many times from everyone around me, and I'm sure you have too. But nonetheless, I hope you guys had an amazing winter break ( I know mine has already ended, sadly ) and that you had an awesome New Year's celebration!

Any interesting New Year's resolutions that you guys wanna share? ;D I personally don't have any because I never end up following through with them. OTL.

And to those of you back in school, HOW ARE YOU GUYS DOING? xD

A side-note to anyone who cares and a bunch of people who probably don't, Heterochromia has surpassed the _two hundred mark _in reviews! YAAAAAAY! -throws some more confetti around, throws streamers at you guys- Thank you for making it a possibility! You have no idea how grateful I am to have your continuous support! (x

The person who sent in the two hundredth review is _Astin. _So thank you so much for sending in the review! ( Although you always seem to rob everyone else of the chance of getting it somehow. LOL. )

AND I'M SORRY, GUYS. I WANTED TO PUT KENTA IN THE CHAPTER, BUT I REALIZED I COULDN'T. BUT. BUTTTTT! I can _promise _you guys that he'll be in the next one. IT'S A PROMISE. AND I PRACTICALLY NEVER MAKE PROMISES.

So yeah. Sorry. -SOBS- Don't throw pitchforks at me. He'll be making an appearance in the next chapter though, I swear! ASDFGHJKL.

Okay. I'm done crying to you guys about it. XD

Enjoy, m'loves! (x

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN;**

_"Touching Heartstrings"_

* * *

><p>Wandering around like I usually did, my feet carried me through the thick bundles of trees that decorated the Association. They were all bare, as winter had already claimed dominance, and the dead leaves on the ground were rimmed with white, glittering frost whenever I looked at them.<p>

Two days had passed since I had barged in on the conference, and it was two days ago that the four hunters that I was so close with made their way back to Cross Academy. It was unspoken that when they got back, Kaito and Yagari called me an idiot and such. Kaien tried defending me against their attacks, though he told me that what I had done was too rash and that I needed to be more careful. Zero had scowled darkly at me and muttered about how I needed to learn how to shut up. Despite all of that, we ended up having dinner altogether and hanging out in the living room until late at night—we had all been excused of performing our educational duties until the next day.

Even though Kaien had told me that the president was generally decided already, it would take more than two days for the official announcement to be made. In fact, he informed me that it would take _months_, because they had to do all this stupid paperwork and go through all these other procedures. It was a long and tedious process, but it was necessary.

I was about to sigh, but when my ears heard something and familiar scents hit me, I stopped myself. Also halting in my footsteps, I blinked when I saw the scene that was in front of me. Zero, whose body faced me, had his head turned to the side to stare at the sickeningly sweet Pureblood that stood there.

With a voice laced with elegance, Sara's quietly spoken words were coated with false warmth and honey. "Are you in pain, seeing her once more? If you're in need of blood, shall I bestow mine to you? After all, your very existence is so exceedingly intriguing, young hunter-san."

My lips thinned upon hearing this. Her eyes looked so solemn, so sincere, but she eluded an aura that said otherwise. Her regal voice produced words that pinpointed things that affected Zero the most. Her intentions were unclear, but it was obvious that her proposition wasn't simply because she wanted to keep him alive and well. Undoubtedly, there was some kind of ulterior motive to what she was offering him.

When I had first noticed their presence, I had instinctively concealed mine. However, upon hearing their conversation, I prepared to intrude on the two of them and crush whatever she was trying to do. Just as I was about to step away from the tree I had automatically shied next to, another delicate, singing soprano voice rang through the air.

"Please—please don't say such things to Zero-kun! Please refrain from acting toward the future Association chairman in such a way... And please don't create any problems for the Academy!" Maria slipped herself in between the two vampires, looking tiny as both of them towered over her. Still, she stared unwaveringly at Sara, standing her ground firmly in front of Zero as if to protect him.

If I hadn't been watching her so closely, I would've missed the slight narrowing of Sara's eyes. Other than that, nothing on her face even so much as twitched upon seeing the small aristocrat. "And you are... Kurenai-san, am I correct? The young lady who is a distant relative of Hio Shizuka."

"Yes," the gray-haired vampire affirmed.

"I see," came Sara's pensive response. As she tilted her head, her waves of blond hair shimmered in the darkness. "I don't intend to stir up any troubles for the Academy or the young hunter-san. Do not worry about such things, Kurenai-san."

From the side-profile image of Maria's face, her expression was grave. Her purple-gray eyes were fixated on the dazzling Pureblood in an assessing and quietly defiant manner. "If that is so, then please don't make fun of Zero-kun by speaking to him in such a way. I'm sure—"

"Go back." Zero's voice was firm, but it didn't come off as harsh or cruel. His lavender eyes were shifted downward as he met the petite noble's eyes as she turned to look at him in faint surprise. "You have no reason to be here, vampire."

"But Zero-kun, I—"

"_Go._" This time, it was rougher around the edges. His eyes narrowed at her, and she blinked at him with wide, flabbergasted eyes. Zero's expression was contorted into a scowl, his lips pulled downward deeply. Maria looked like she was going to protest, but upon thinking better of it, bowed her head slightly.

Dejection coloured both her face and her voice as she resigned, "Okay." She looked up at him from underneath her long, light lashes for another moment before looking at Sara. She bowed slightly before pivoting on her heels and turning away, heading back toward the Moon Dorms.

The two remaining vampires watched as she left, and Maria turned her head back more than once to peer at them. It was only when she disappeared into the building that the silver-haired hunter and cerulean-eyed Pureblood looked at one another again.

"My," Sara commented, a smile peeling her lips upward. "She seems to have quite strong affections for you."

Zero ignored her comment as he stared hard at her. His voice was scathing with coldness despite the calm way he spoke. "I don't need your filthy blood. Regardless of whether my existence is interesting to you or not, don't push your luck. I'm simply waiting for you to give me a reason to shoot you, Pureblood."

He didn't even wait to hear her response as he turned away from her, heading to his desired destination. I thought that he would be coming towards me, but it seemed like he changed his mind, because he began heading elsewhere.

I watched his broad back as he left, his white, unbuttoned trench coat flying behind him as he strode quickly through the crowd of trees. A desire to go after him bubbled inside of me, as I was sure he was struggling to keep himself together, but a part of me forced me to remain rooted to my spot.

After he had vanished within the darkness and the numerous trees, silence ticked in the atmosphere for a minute or two. When I looked at her, Sara stayed where she was, merely staring at the spot he had faded. But when she turned her head away, her eyes pierced knowingly into mine. "How long do you intend to hide, Tashiro-san?"

I wasn't surprised that she had been aware of my presence despite the fact that I had kept it hidden. Stepping out from behind the wide tree, I walked a few steps toward her. I kept my voice light as I smiled and said, "It's been nearly two months, Sara. By now, I'm sure that you know I prefer to be called Ivy."

"I wasn't aware that such a friendly way of addressing you was also extended to me," came her humble reply. She turned her body to face me as I approached, and I stopped a few feet in front of her, taking in her amazingly hair and beautiful dress.

"Well, now you know," I pointed out. I stared up at her speculatively, my eyes probing hers. There were so many possibilities in regards to her secret plans that I didn't even know where to start.

She blinked at me, her rose-coloured lips pulling upwards at the corners to give the illusion of a small, gentle smile. "Why is it that you're looking at me in such a way?"

Not bothering to lie or beat around the bush, because I was sure she knew _exactly _why I was blatantly assessing her, I stated, "I'm trying to discern your true intentions."

As expected, she didn't look startled or even the slightest bit fazed. Instead, she continued to meet my gaze steadily with her own. She kept up her pretense without a hitch. "I'm merely here attending classes due to an invitation from Kaname-sama. What makes you think that I could possibly have ulterior motives?"

"There has never been any interest from you at all when the matter of coexistence with humans has been concerned." With darkened eyes, I continued, "There's no basis for you to accept such an invitation to this school, which holds the harmony of both races as one of the highest priorities, without any other reasons behind it."

"It's true that I've never been quite as involved as Kaname-sama when it comes to living peacefully with humans," she admitted easily, "but seeing his efforts begin to bear fruit make me want to also help. It is impossible to reject an offer from such a man."

"And how is such a thing impossible for you when you regard yourself as the superior one?" The smile that twisted onto my lips was slight, but satisfied. "However, it's nice to know that the explanation as to why you're here revolves around him."

Darkening by a shade or two, her eyes tightened as she stared down at me. The look in her pale orbs told me that she wanted to do nothing more than plunge her hand into my chest and rip my heart out. It just furthered my assurance on my speculations. "Such accusations are rather bold and baseless, don't you agree?"

Beaming at her, I said, "Nope. But even if I _did _agree, it wouldn't change anything. Bold is my middle name."

"Kaname-sama was right when he commented on your similarity to the young hunter-san," Sara remarked. Her eyes fluttered over to where Zero had left once more, showing that she was indeed speaking of him. One of her hands came up to lightly run through her luscious tresses before clasping with her other one in front of her stomach.

Although it was manifest that she meant it in an unfavourable way, I intentionally took her words differently. "Aw, shucks. You think so? You're flattering me too much." However, the teasing tone in my voice died down as I said, "Speaking of Zero, what do you think you were doing, antagonizing him like that?"

"I don't believe I was doing such a thing," she politely objected. Fake innocence littered her sweet voice as she explained, "I was merely speaking to him about what was bothering him."

"By offering him your blood?" I shot back instantly. "You're aware of how his personality is like. You were purposely provoking him, almost as if you _wanted_ him to start a fight with you. As a Pureblood, you should be more aware than any of the others that he's going to be the future Association chairman. Pureblood or not, such actions will not be tolerated by him... _or _us."

The blond, queen-like beauty smiled faintly as she stepped closer to me. It was a menacing smile, a threatening step. The malice in her eyes swirled as she gazed down at me, her sadistic aura flaring. She bent a bit so that she was eye-level with me, as if it would intimidate me.

It didn't.

I remained where I was, not retreating a few steps back. I met her gaze unwaveringly, my lips thinning into a line. Up close, her eyes and her features were definitely very striking. And while her deadly beauty was so much more prominent with so little distance, so were the disgusting emotions that lay underneath the glamour.

Reaching a hand out, she placed it daintily on my shoulder and leaned in closer. My narrowed eyes were incredibly dark as her scent filled my entire body. In a voice rimmed with cruelty and wickedness, she whispered into my ear, "As a hunter, you should also be more aware than others that I'm a Pureblood. It would be in your best interest to not test my limits, _Ivy-san._"

Through my eyes, she was presenting me with a challenge. It wasn't as if I was ignorant about her powers as a Pureblood, but that didn't mean I spent hours upon hours obsessing over such a fact. Just because she sat on the top of the vampire hierarchy, that didn't mean that I was going to back down. It didn't matter whether she was stronger than me or not; if she did anything that overstepped her boundaries, then I wouldn't hesitate to take action.

It was what hunters were meant to do, what we were taught to do. It was imprinted into us.

My slightly lidded eyes slanted over to stare at her from my peripheral vision. Not amused or fazed by her threat, I reached a hand up and firmly pushed her hand off my shoulder. She began straightening back to her full height as I stated, "The same goes for you, Shirabuki Sara." Meeting her eyes defiantly, I cautioned, "If you dare to lay your hands on any single person in an unsuitable manner, I'll have your head."

"That sounds like a threat, Ivy-san," Sara commented. The two of us knew that what we had exchanged _were _threats to one another, but it was evident that she was trying to turn it into a joke. Perhaps she wanted me to say it aloud and twist this situation to her favour. Despite that, she looked at me like she expected me to refute her words. She was wrong.

"It _is_a threat." My eyes pierced into hers. "Keep it in mind." I stared at her for another moment before swiveling on my heels, preparing to return back to the Dawn Dorm. I didn't see a reason to stay and chit-chat any longer. If we continued speaking to one another in such a coldly civil way, I sure that that we'd end up snapping at some point and lunging at the other.

And while I wasn't afraid of her, I knew that if a fight broke out between the two of us, I'd be at a major disadvantage—a majority of the vampires in the Moon Dorms had, undoubtedly, been listening in on the conversation. They would take her side, and though I knew I was pretty skilled, I was conscious of the fact that I wouldn't be able to take on a Pureblood with an army of aristocrats all by myself.

I wasn't scared of her.

But I wasn't stupid, either.

Her gaze burned into my back as I began walking away, but upon remembering something, I halted my steps. Without turning to look at her, I told her lowly, "You also seem to be quite fascinated by Zero. I'll say again that any incongruous behaviour won't be endured." I paused for a moment before I looked over my shoulder at her, dark eyes meeting ones just as dim. "In other words, to put it bluntly... If you do _anything _that would cause him harm in any way... I'll kill you."

Only our heartbeats could be heard in the silence that followed my words. Her eyes had narrowed slightly, her lips pulling over her teeth to form what was a small snarl disguised as a polite smile. Her expression was somewhat stiff, the severity of my words ringing loudly through the night. My features remained flooded with somberness. It was one of the few times that I emitted an unfriendly aura and didn't feel bad about it in the least.

Refusing to give her more time to respond, I turned my gaze back ahead and continued on my way. I was aware of her stabbing eyes piercing into me as I went, and I shut my eyes. The muscles in my body that had locked themselves upon conversing with Sara slowly began to loosen, the wariness in my body also dropping a notch.

I shook my head as I continued my trek, trying to get rid of the morbid aura that surrounded me. Speaking so formally and so seriously about such unhappy matters just wasn't something that I did often. I blinked up at the sky, realizing that the only time it truly _did _happen was when I was with my grandparents.

Immediately, my mood was shadowed again. I pursed my lips in frustration and shook my head more roughly, refusing to think about them once more. I didn't want to be completely consumed by resentful feelings again. I didn't want to feel that twisting pain in my chest, accompanied by anger and hate.

I didn't want to try and break myself anymore.

* * *

><p>Without lifting the thick novel off my face, the words that came out of my mouth were only faintly muffled. "Good morning."<p>

"... Good morning," he sighed in greeting. His deep, velvety voice was tainted with nostalgia just like it always seemed to be. His presence was so graceful and so royal, it was impossible to mistake him for someone else.

Forcing myself to relax, I plucked the small white box off of my stomach before I pushed myself into an upright position, blinking at the brightness of the sunlight. The book slipped off my face, but I caught it with my spare hand before it hit my lap, though I ended up placing it there anyway.

Pulling my knees halfway up my chest and leaning back on my spare palm, I looked over my shoulder and offered a smile. "What's wrong? It's rare that you come and find me, Kaname."

The Kuran Pureblood ignored my lack of honourifics, deciding not to touch on that subject. For whatever reason, he was still dressed in his Night Class uniform, his tendrils of silky dark brown hair curling at the nape of his neck. His longer strands fell into his warm, yet desolate crimson eyes as he stood a few feet behind me. "I suppose it _is _rather odd. I never would have imagined myself purposely seeking you out, Ivy."

A grin stretched my face upon hearing the way he addressed me. Unable to help it, I gave a small chuckle as I beamed up at him. Although I knew that most people caught on to what I liked to be called, I found it very amusing that Kuran Kaname had even bothered to listen or call me it. I had always believed he'd acknowledge me as "Tashiro" no matter how many times I corrected him. Somehow, it made our shallow relationship seem a bit less hostile than I originally thought.

His tone was inquisitive. "Did I manage to say something amusing?"

"Not really _amusing_. It's just—you called me 'Ivy.' I... like it. We never really spoke after my arrival, since so many things happen all the time. I'm happy to be addressed in such a way. It makes it seem like we don't completely loathe each other," I answered honestly.

"Is that so?" He paused a moment, and I remained silent because he looked like he had more to say. It was a brief break in his words before he remarked in his calm, polite tone, "Perhaps 'loathe' would be too passionate of a word to describe my sentiments for you."

I raised my eyebrows at him in curiosity. I wasn't quite sure how to take his words—was he telling me that I wasn't worth his energy to be hated on, or was he saying that I didn't infuriate him enough for him to loathe me? I normally would've assumed the latter, but with Kuran Kaname, it was hard to tell.

I wasn't sure what expression was on my face, because I was befuddled, yet I was also incredibly amused. "I... Um, thanks. I think. I'm not really sure how to interpret that, but nonetheless."

"Your face portrayed your thoughts," he notified me.

"Everyone says that," I muttered, rolling my eyes albeit I smiled. I gestured him over. "Would you like to sit with me? I'm sure you're tired. To be honest, I'm surprised that you're not asleep at this time—for vampires, isn't it really late?"

He looked like he was wondering whether he heard right or not, but after a moment, his long legs carried him over to where I rested. He eased himself down onto the bench after I had swung my legs back down to sit normally. I slipped the book underneath the small cardboard box and placed it on to my lap, my hands gripping onto the edge of the bench. A few feet separated us, but it was probably for the best.

After he seated himself, neither one of us spoke. I had to admit that I felt a tinge of awkwardness in the atmosphere, but when I glanced at from underneath my lashes, that slight discomfort faded.

His side profile was just as stunning as when someone looked at him head-on. His features were prominent, his skin so unbelievably fair. Although his wispy waves fell into his eyes, his immensely long lashes were still noticeable. His dark, saddened crimson orbs somehow added to his beauty rather than subtracted from it. However, despite it all, exhaustion seemed to stretch across his dashing characteristics. Kaname looked so deep in thought all the time, so disheartened. It made me want to sigh.

As if sensing my gaze on him, his eyes shifted over to rest on me. "Yes?"

Not looking away from him, I grinned at him and confessed, "Sorry, I was staring. But I was also wondering why you're here. You never quite told me the reason why."

"I can see that you don't appreciate small talk," he commented, though he sounded like it was what he preferred as well. Cutting straight to the point, he informed me, "Your words to Sara-sama have caused quite a stir within the students of the Night Class."

Unsurprised at the news, as I was sure that many of them had been eavesdropping even on Sara and Zero's conversation, I let out a sigh. "Sorry."

"Your apology is directed at the wrong person," came his smooth reply.

Shaking my head, I objected lightly, "No, it's not." I offered him an upward tilt of my lips as I elaborated, "I'm causing trouble for you and for the others in the Night Class, which is why I'm apologizing. I'm not, however, sorry for what I said to her. I don't see a reason why I should feel the need to apologize for what I had said."

"How valiant," he remarked in a way that _almost_ sounded mocking and sarcastic. Just almost. His eyes stared down at his interlaced fingers as he added, "Are you aware of the consequences of threatening a Pureblood?"

"Such a thing is negated after what she had done." My response was immediate, firm, and flat. "After intentionally provoking the future Association president, my actions were justified. Not to mention the fact that it was a swap between both of us. My threats were in response to hers; it's the concept of giving and taking."

His eyes darted over to rest on me, but I stared ahead at the naked trees and vacant bushes; the garden near the Dawn Dorms, while usually overflowing with flowers of all species and colours, had been subjected to the chilly winter a bit earlier than the rest of the gardens.

Kaname remained quiet for a just a few heartbeats, as if he was taking some time to choose his words carefully. "You're quite protective of Kiriyuu."

Freezing for a second before relaxing, my eyes slowly slid over to meet his. I found it strange that he would bring up the subject of Zero with so little reluctance portrayed in his tone of voice—I had always imagined that Kaname would avoid speaking of the silver-haired hunter like the plague. My lips tugged upwards into a smile as I asked, "And what are your implications by saying such a thing?"

"There aren't any," he answered. "I'm merely stating a fact."

"How unconvincing." Pause. "You always look miserable."

Eyes narrowed. "Pardon?"

I grinned. "I'm merely stating a fact."

"How amusing," came his dry, sarcastic response.

"But really..." The smile dimmed down a few notches as I gazed at the Pureblood. His eyes met mine without faltering, his expression the same as it always was—calm, neutral, but tainted with melancholy. "Despite the powerful and intimidating aura you give off, you always look so sad. Your eyes never seem to lighten."

His eyebrows pulled together just slightly upon hearing my words, but his expression remained just as composed as before. "I'm intrigued as to why you've been observing me so closely."

Sadness danced along the upward tilt of my lips. "Even if I didn't watch you like I do, I'd still notice. It's really obvious." My eyes fell from his as I murmured, "It's not just you, either. Yuuki and Zero, too. A lot of the people in the Night Class... seem so distressed."

"You're not even the slightest bit bashful, are you?" Kaname observed. His tone wasn't mocking or irritated—in fact, it was kind of placid. "Your undeterred honesty is strange."

"So I've been told. And with this honesty, is it too much to ask for your sincerity as well?" My unusual eyes looked up to lock with his once more. The expression on my face asked an unspoken question that he, without a doubt, was able to hear.

A couple of heartbeats pounded before he opened his mouth to speak. "You're vigilant. And persistent. Those qualities are rather unsettling on you." His eyes were misted over with darkness.

"Because I end up hitting bulls-eye?" I gave a small, short laugh. "Is this why I'm somehow included in your game?"

"Game?" he repeated, nothing giving him away. He acted as if he had absolutely no idea what I was talking about, but we both knew. There was really no secret on the subject—he was the type to turn everything into a game and plan everything out, manipulating everyone useful to him. I was the type to realize it and refute.

A slight smile. "You know, you don't need to secretly include me in your plans and _deceive _me. Just because you're a Pureblood and I'm a hunter, that doesn't mean that's all that we are. It doesn't mean that our views are always on opposite spectrums. Sometimes, what you want to protect is also what I want to protect. I don't need to be manipulated in order to help you fulfill your goals; if you simply tell me what you want, and it's something that I agree with, you wouldn't have to spend time thinking about what you need to do in order to push me to do what you'd like."

"You... truly are odd," he murmured quietly, almost as if he was speaking to himself. He blinked his eyes at me and stated, "I'm sure our common interests are few in number."

"Maybe," I half-agreed. But my eyes were bright with soft sincerity as I met his gaze. "But one of our mutual goals is the most significant: the happiness of Yuuki, right?" His expression remained unmoving, but his eyes flashed. I shifted my gaze away, tilting my head up a bit to look up at the cloud-clad sky. "Yet, that's also wrong."

The Kuran Pureblood stayed silent, as if waiting for me to speak. A rather cold breeze pranced by, the wind playing with our hair and clothes. My vision of the sky was temporarily obscured as strands of my reddish-brown hair got into my eyes, and I lifted a hand up to push the tresses back, though some still slipped out of my hold. When the wind died down, my hand remained where it was for a moment longer before I ran my fingers through the locks once. I let it return back to where it had previously been resting on the bench.

"Yuuki's happiness is definitely important," I murmured. "She's someone incredibly precious to you, right? Your primary objective is to see her smile. And while I also believe that that's precedence, I think that you're missing out on something equally essential."

When I didn't say anything else for a long moment, he finally asked, "And that is?" His eyes had been gazing at me so intensely the entire time we had been quiet, as if he was trying to figure me out. It was different from how he had first looked at me back when I enrolled in the Academy.

"You didn't figure it out despite the time I gave you to think of it?" Amusement laced my voice, which was tainted with playful chastising.

No answer.

In silence, eyes slanted, gazes locked. Topaz and emerald clashed heavily with ruby.

A smile, followed by a softly spoken sentence.  
><em><br>"Your _happiness."

* * *

><p>"In reality... Zero-kun doesn't hate all vampires, right?" Maria's soft, fragile voice hummed through my eardrums once more, and both Kaname and I stopped walking as we saw the two vampires walking just a few meters off to the side of us. I had been bumping into Maria a lot by sheer coincidence lately, and it always seemed to be at horrible—or amazing, if you'd like to perceive it that way—moments.<p>

When I glanced at Kaname from the corner of my eyes, the mutual understanding to remain silent and merely watch the scene unfold was shared between us. It surprised me slightly that he would do such a thing—it was true that he seemed like the manipulative type, but it was odd of him to eavesdrop on other people's business.

Zero's footsteps halted, which caused hers to come to a stop as well. He looked over his shoulder at her, though his expression was completely unreadable. Without saying anything, he turned back around and continued walking, though his pace seemed to have slowed.

She followed after him, her straight strands of gray hair flowing behind her. "If I'm wrong, then I believe that Yuuki would already have disappeared from this rather cruel world. After all, didn't she betray you? It's not intentional, yet despite being a Pureblood, she still gives off the aura of a human..."

Kaname's tall body stiffened next to mine upon hearing Maria's words, but he relaxed himself just as fast. I didn't look up at him to see the Pureblood's reaction, because I was too fixated on the lavender-eyed hunter.

Dread grabbed and embraced me again. I felt queasy as I anticipated his answer. My eyes were soft and sober as I stared at his uniform-clad physique, already knowing his true feelings for her. It wasn't as if I despised the fact that he loved her—in fact, I found it a wonderful thing. To be in love with someone so much, to cherish someone so deeply. Yet... his love was so heartbreaking that I couldn't help but feel the magnificence of it be trimmed by tragedy. Every time I had to face their interconnected fates, I felt like it was hard to swallow.

This time, he didn't even turn to look at her. "Betray what? I've never seen it that way."

Clearly floored, Maria stared at his back with a rather gloomy expression. "Is that so...?" She barely had time to finish her sentence before she began coughing. I couldn't help but notice that, despite _coughing_, she managed to make it sound so feminine. I knew that when _I _coughed, I practically shook the house. It was the same with my sneezes; they were practically earthquakes. It showed just how feminine and adorable Maria was, although her true intentions seemed rather different.

Zero looked back at her as she continued her coughing fit. The moment her knees gave out underneath her, the silver-haired hunter reached his arms out and caught her in his arms easily. Her parasol fell to the ground at their feet.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, leaning against him for support. "The day renders me useless. Even during the night, the only reason my body is able to withstand it is due to the blood that Hio-sama had bestowed me with..."

Swiftly, Zero hooked one arm under her knees and the other along her back, picking her up bridal style with immense ease. "Of course it's difficult for you to walk around outside during the day. Your vampire senses are especially sensitive." The lilac-eyed hunter continued walking toward the Moon Dorm, the silence between them following. It didn't take long before they faded from our sight.

We waited a few moments before we moved. I walked quietly over to where the parasol had fallen, picking it up. I looked up at my Pureblood companion, whose facial expression was rather unreadable as he stared at the place that the two had disappeared, and held the parasol up to shield him from the minimal sunlight.

When he shifted his gaze over to me, I grinned slightly. Hoping to lighten the atmosphere, I joked, "You'd look great carrying this."

He stared for a second before looking away. "The sunlight doesn't affect me as much as it does with others."

"But it still drains your strength," I pointed out lightly. I made a face at him. "What, you don't like it?" Without waiting for his answer, I let the stem of the parasol rest along my shoulder as I pranced ahead a bit before whirling around to face him with a grin. "I've never had a parasol before. It's my first time carrying one—somehow, they feel so different from umbrellas."

He closed his eyes as he let out a nearly nonexistent sigh before opening them as he murmured, "You're a child."

"You think so?" I waited until he was beside me before I held the parasol up more appropriate to shield both of us. "Children don't really go around seriously threatening to kill other people though, don't you agree?"

The brunette chose to not reply. Once more, silence fell between us. It had been like this when we first started our stroll to the Moon Dorms as well—after I had told him what he was missing, it was hushed for a long while before I mentioned he should probably go back and rest. I wanted him to give the white box full of sweets to Shiki, Rima, and Ichijou, since I was sure they weren't awake, but he told me to do it myself. It wasn't as if it was an uncomfortable sort of hush between both of us—it surprised me how relaxed and at ease we both were—but the quietness gave me time to think about what Zero had said.

And everything that it implied.

Somehow, the severity of entering the Moon Dorms didn't really hit me until we were at the front doors. Zero had most likely finished sending Maria off and had gone back, though we didn't pass him on our way. Still, he wasn't the one who had threatened to kill a Pureblood so straightforwardly.

I eyed the doors with cautiousness, my senses tingling at all the vampires that lurked in the building. If I walked in there, I'd be walking into a dormitory of aristocrats that would love to tear me apart. As brave and confident I was, I wasn't _that _big of an idiot. "I don't think entering is a very smart idea, though I'm happy you offered. I need to live for a little longer, you know."

He seemed to understand what I was talking about, because he said, "You're not simply a guest, but also a classmate of the Night Class. Upon entering the Moon Dorms, you'll be treated as such. No vampires will lay a hand on you."

For a moment, I blinked up at the slightly more commanding tone in his voice—the order-like sentences he was spouting at me didn't make any sense in my mind—but then realization dawned on me that he was speaking to those that were awake and in the building.

Grasping the door handle, he pushed it open and waited, an expectant look on his features.

A mixture of emotions bombarded me, and I was sure that it showed on my face. There were so many thoughts running through my mind and so many different questions that I wanted to ask him. I was so perplexed—it wasn't as if I wasn't glad that we were civil with one another, but I still wasn't a hundred percent sure why he sought me out today, or why he was treating me the way he was. Admittedly, he wasn't acting like I was his princess, but he was much more courteous than I could have hoped for. I wanted to ask him what he wanted from me, why he was acting this way, just _what _was bothering him.

But none of that came out.

Instead, I fumbled with my words as I entered the dorm. "I—you didn't have to—there's nothing..." I ended up sighing. "Thank you."

"Make yourself at home," he welcomed graciously, taking his polished shoes off. He began heading toward the winding staircase, not looking back at me as he instructed, "The first left room in the right hallway is the kitchen."

"Thank you," I repeated quietly. I blinked, staring at his back. "Kaname."

Not looking back, he stopped ascending the marble stairs.

A slight smile played along my lips as I said, "It's a thank you for everything, just so you know. I'm... happy that we were able to talk so amicably. It was pleasant."

He turned his head barely enough for me to catch a glimpse of one of his red eyes. Strands fell into it, blocking much of it from my sight though the crimson practically glowed against his pale skin. "Don't take it to heart." And then he continued on his way, not even looking back once.

The smile remained on my face as I took my shoes off and padded over to where he had said the kitchen was. I blinked as I turned into the spacious, luxurious room, because standing in front of the opened fridge was a certain maroon-haired model.

His impassive eyes slid to meet mine as he caught sight of me standing at the doorway tentatively. Straightening up from the bent position he was in as he had rummaged through the refrigerator, he greeted, "Good morning, Ivy-san."

"Good evening," I answered, purposefully using the opposite time zone that he did. I found it somewhat odd that he used the sense of time for humans rather than vampires, but I believed that he did it for my sake. "Why are you still awake?"

He ran a hand through his unruly maroon waves. It looked messier than usual, and a look of exhaustion mixed with sleepiness seemed to weigh down on the nonchalance that hung on his handsome features. "I'm hungry."

Unable to help it, a smile crossed my face, and I held up the white box I was carrying. "Are you in the mood for sweets?"

Shiki's footsteps ghosted over the waxed tiles as he neared me, stopping a few feet away. He took the box from my extended hand, and his head tilted slightly as he asked, "Homemade?"

"That depends on your answer," I joked, smiling slightly at the expressionless male in front of me. I wasn't sure why, but it was so easy to speak with him. Normally, being around people who were so impassive made things effortlessly awkward or uncomfortable, but that wasn't the case with him. Somehow, he managed to make me feel at ease. With the pale cerulean-eyed noble, I almost felt... _grounded_.

Meeting my eyes with his shielded ones, he blinked at me for a moment before inviting, "Shall we?" He half-turned his body unnecessarily to make more room in the large doorway, pointing at the enormous island a bit further inside.

Mystification and a whirlwind of emotions hit me when I comprehended what he had said. I eyed him with furrowed eyebrows. I knew that Shiki was kind, but wasn't he _somewhat _angry or hateful because of what I had said to Sara? Surely he wouldn't do something like invite me to have sweets with him. "It's... Er, it's okay."

Practically reading my thoughts on my face, he commented flatly, "I'm not going to bite. It doesn't concern me."

"But you're a—"

"Nothing happened," he interrupted me. There was no emotion in his voice, and nothing showed in his eyes. He was monotonous, speaking as if it was a fact rather than an opinion. "The fuss is melodramatic."

I stared at him, somewhat stunned. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to say to him, anyways. Kaname had called _me_ odd, but what about _Shiki Senri? _He was so different in comparison to the other vampires in the Night Class, it left me somewhat speechless. He was so frank about his thoughts, almost as if he didn't care what other people thought of him. He was hard to understand.

But I knew, somewhere deep down, that I wanted to come to understand him.

So I ended up smiling as I took steps into the kitchen, uncertainly climbing up onto a seat at the island. The maroon-haired model followed, taking a seat across from me. He placed the white box in between us and opened it, blinking down at what was inside. Without even thinking about it, he took out the piece of strawberry fruit cake with the chocolate Pocky decorations.

As he carefully unwrapped the foil with his slender, pale fingers, he picked off the small Pocky sticks and popped them in his mouth. When he finished removing enough of the foil, he took a bite out of the cake. I merely watched him in silence as he continued eating it, neither one of us saying a word.

It was only after he had finished that he said, "Teach me?"

The break in the quiet between us was so unexpected, I jolted slightly upon hearing his voice. My heart thudded in my chest at the surprise that shot through me, and I stared uncomprehendingly at him for a moment. "Excuse me?"

His light sapphire eyes were stuck on the white container that all the treats were in. "It's always delicious." He paused, his eyes flickering up to meet mine. Maintaining an indifferent expression, he asked, "Will you teach me how to make them?"

"I..." My eyes were wide as I met his gaze. Something swelled inside my chest, and I ended up letting out a delighted little laugh tinged with soft disbelief. Beaming at him, I agreed, "I'd love to."

Shiki's gaze lingered on me for a moment longer, a hint of surprise showing through his frozen eyes, before they darted back down into the cardboard box. He reached in, talking out a slice of blueberry pie. I expected him to take a bite out of it, but instead, he held it out toward me.

"You... don't like blueberry pie?" I asked him in confusion, taking the piece from him. I glanced down at it before looking back up at him. He had never mentioned disliking any particular sweet, so I had assumed that anything would've been fine. Perhaps I should've pressed a bit more on his preferences—Ichijou and Rima as well.

"I'm fine with it." He took out a piece of fudge, blinking at it for a moment before bringing it to his mouth and chomping down on it.

Even more perplexed, I extended the pie back to him. "Then..."

He swallowed his mouthful of fudge, his eyes flickering from the slice of blueberry pie then to me. "For you."

"How did you...?"

"We worked with one another for a while at the Association Headquarters," he reminded me dully. "I'm sure we've all managed to pick up a characteristic or two about everyone else."

A smile. "That's true."

"It's also strange," he murmured in his lifeless voice, "to enjoy these myself."

"But I made these for you. And for Ichijou and Rima."

"And it's because of that. You should also have some." He paused a bit before his eyes locked with mine once more. "Thank you. It must take a lot of effort and time."

Despite the blankness that danced along his tone and features, he somehow radiated sincerity. I didn't know how he was able to express himself without conveying anything at all, but he did.

It made me grin. "Don't worry about it. I have fun making them."

"It looks difficult," he commented.

"Only when you first start out," I admitted. Looking at him curiously, I inquired, "When are you free?"

He thought about it for a moment before shaking his head slightly. "Not anytime soon."

"How about during the winter break, then?" I suggested. "I'll be gone for the next two weeks, and by the time I get back, it'd already be winter break."

"That sounds fine," he answered. "You're almost a phantom student."

I wasn't sure what kind of smile I had on my face. Was it a sad one? A sheepish one? Was it one that looked just as fatigued as I felt? "Yeah. I'm usually doing something for the Association. Even though they sent me here, they still require me to do other things as well."

As if deciding he wasn't going to pry, Shiki didn't ask me what business I was being asked to do, though I wouldn't have minded anyways. Rather than that, he remarked, "You'll miss the Winter Dance."

"I completely forgot about that," I confessed. Shaking my head, I shrugged with a smile. "I'm fine with not attending it, though. There's always next year. I heard that it's one of the only times that the Night and Day Class students get to interact with each other. Is it fun?"

"Define 'fun,'" was his bland response.

Grinning, I teased, "What, are you unhappy with the swarms of girls that attack you in hopes for a dance?"

He heaved a soft sigh. "Such formal dances are bothersome."

"No way," I objected. "They sound fun. I haven't been to many, but from what I hear, it sounds awesome."

"Say that _after _attending one," Shiki told me.

"Is there a story here?" I leaned forward on my elbows, my eyes bright with amusement as I looked at him. "There's got to be a reason why you seem to dislike dances so much." I couldn't imagine why, though. Although he didn't seem like the type to jump for joy—not that he would for anything, really—he also didn't seem like the kind of person to find it bothersome. It made me so curious. Perhaps he had gone through something embarrassing? Or maybe he had experienced horror from his fans?

His unemotional eyes met mine. "It's not very interesting, Ivy-san."

"Ah!" I snapped my fingers at him. "So there _is_ a story! _Do _tell," I encouraged him, a grin stretching across my face.

The famous model stared at me for a moment, almost like he was calculating the consequences of sharing his experiences with me. I merely beamed at him in eager curiosity, and he eventually let out another sigh.

As we spoke and shared our experiences for a variety of things, I couldn't even count how many times I laughed or grinned at something he had said. I had only known the emotionless noble for a bit under two months, but I was talking to him like I had known him for years upon years. Albeit our personalities were rather different, we got along very well. The two of us somehow clicked, and I was grateful.

In the two hours that we ended up chatting away, I learned so many things about him. I felt like I was beginning to understand how he expressed himself, how he felt when he did certain gestures. Our subject of conversation always remained relatively shallow—it was unanimous between both of us that we wouldn't approach any deep or touchy topics during our discussion. And I was relieved, because while we talked about things that were happy and uplifting, I was able to temporarily forget everything I wanted to.

But he didn't drop the bomb on me until the last moment.

I had finished slipping on my shoes, and told him about the parasol I had left resting against the wall next to the large door. I had thanked him for his time and apologized for keeping him. I had opened the door, just about to step out, when he stopped me.

"Ivy-san?"

Pausing with one foot outside, I looked at him over my shoulder in surprise and mild bewilderment. "What's wrong?"

He stared at me. Blank, impassive, emotionless. But his gaze was piercing despite all of that. "How often do you cry?"

Dumbfounded, I could only stare at him with wide eyes for a long, long time. My heart thudded harder in my chest, the sound of my blood rushing thunderously in my ears. His words were like a slap in my face, the wind knocking right out of me. I felt like he had caught me breaking into his room in the middle of the night. "I—w-what?"

Unmoved. Static. Bland. "You're always smiling. Always so bright. It's unnatural." He paused, pinning me on the spot with his eyes.

I felt like he was staring right into my soul.

"Do you ever cry?"

My throat constricted to the point where I felt like not even air would be able to pass through. My heart twisted violent in my chest, pain reverberating through my body. It felt like it was getting harder and harder to breathe, like there wasn't enough oxygen in the room. I wanted to laugh and brush off what he said easily, but I could only stare at him.

I managed to get out a simple, "No."

His head tilted. "Why not?"

Pain. So much of it. Despite what I said, I knew that I _did _cry. I didn't think that it counted, though. Because those tears came unintentionally. Unconsciously. Those tears were ones that I didn't feel better after shedding. Tears that I wasn't even aware I cried until I woke up and my pillow was wet, my cheeks slick.

Did I cry? Not when I was awake. Not when I could stop myself. I didn't _let _myself break down like that.

And the reason was so simple.

I smiled somehow.

"I won't be able to pick myself back up again if I do."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

TA-DAAA! And that's the eighteenth chapter of Heterochromia! There's a bit of Zero in it, but nothing like direction conversation between Zero and Ivy. Sadly. I felt like it was necessary to have this chapter with these scenes, though. So I did! PLEASE DON'T HIT ME. xD

I swear, I SWEAR Kenta will be in the next chapter. ASDFGHJKL. G-Gotta show some Shiki and Kaname love, right? Right?

I think I've mentioned it before, but I adore Shiki and Ivy's relationship. (x And I'll admit, I had fun writing about her conversation with Kaname, too. IS THAT BAD? -SHOT-

As usual, I apologize for any spelling mistakes, grammar errors, and OOCness that may have, and most likely did, occur within the chapter.

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**Demonic Angel 7, XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX, Ficchii, Tokine8696, Guilty. Ink , Anemos, xXMizukiXx, Simplicity-Shitsuboku, Guest, Fangirling Duck, Vakarianx3, Astin, Whadeby, thecoldforest, and Juliedoo**

Thank you guys for your amazing reviews that made my days brighter! I appreciate it so much! (x

Also, thanks to everyone to alerted and favourited! ;D

RESPONSES!

To** XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX**;

K-Kenta deliciousness that I could not include in this chapter. -SOBS- I'M SO SORRY. He'll be in the next one, I PROMISE. xD  
>He likes marshmellows more than he likes gummy bears! It's because sometimes gummy bears get stuck in his teeth and he hates it. Plus he loves how squishy and soft marshmellows are. LOL.<br>Thank you! AND YES, COOKIE. GIMME. PLEASE? XD  
>LOOOOOL. There always seems to be conflict with the old people. -nods very seriously- Traditional thinking or something, I guess. And power. And all that other fun stuff. It gets annoying after a while, though. I admit. xD Not that I think Kaname's exactly old, since he's causing most of the conflict in VK right now, but y'know.<br>I LOVE HOW YOU DIFFERENTIATED THEM. LOL. -DIES-  
>Kenta is like a bundle of sweetness and adorableness and pure innocent. I smile every time I write about him. SOMETIMES I'M TEMPTED TO JUST STICK HIM IN SITUATIONS THAT MAKE HIM BLUSH SO HARD. But I can't be that cruel to him. ):<br>Ahmygod. I can't wait to have Trance in my chapters because I adore him so much. xD IT'S OKAY. Tsunderes are very widely loved. Or, well, almost all of my friends who are into anime love tsuns. They make my heart go thump-thump. ;D  
>Nono, thank YOU for reading and supporting me all the time! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! -grins-<p>

To **Ficchii**;

Hi! LOL. I'M SORRY. I probably should have said something like, "The twenty-first in MY timezone." OTL. I apologize for making you refresh your page so often and wasting your time! XD  
>ASDFGHJL. LMAO. WHY DO YOU DO THISSSS? I FEEL SO SORRY FOR YOUR PHONE. Please tell me it still works or else I will cry for it. xD<br>Guts... Ivy... LOL. I think rather than guts, it's her pride and stubbornness. And I'm sorry that Zero doesn't show up that much! He's not in this chapter a lot either, unfortunately. But he and Ivy SHOULD have a moment in the next chapter, if everything goes according to the way I see it inside my head. xD  
>And aww, thank you! You flatter me so much. ASDNWEAOBNEWOB. I don't deserve your praises.<br>Thank you for always supporting me and being so wonderful! I hope that you liked this chapter as well! (:

To **Tokine8696**;

Why, thank you! That's very flattering. I don't think I've ever had my chapter called epic before. HAHA.  
>ARGH, I DON'T KNOW WHY I DO IT EITHER. It's like I have to, though. Because I need to capture Zero and Yuuki's relationship in order to build up Zero and Ivy's. IT'S SO PAINFUL. Every word and mention of Yuuki makes me want to cringe and then break pencils. -sigh-<br>NONO, it's fine! I'm happy you even answered the question! HAHA. Kenta's favourite type of dessert would have to be ice cream. And he loves all kinds of ice cream. He'd eat it even in the winter. (x  
>There wasn't a lot of ZeroxIvy moments in this chapter, but next chapter should have a huge one! HOHOHO. I hope that you look forward to it! (x<br>Thank you for taking the time to read the chapter and share your thoughts with me! I hope that this latest chapter was to your liking as well! ;D

To **Guilty . Ink**;

Dear god, THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME. I don't even know how you managed to find out, but thank you! I'm so grateful. (x  
>If you follow this story, I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! ;D<p>

To** Anemos**;

Pfft, I love your reviews and the fact you even take the time to give me any! I'd take that over virtual cookies any day. ;D And I love the nickname, thank you!  
>Nono, it's fine! I think that a lot of it had to do with how I had written it. I'm sorry for causing a misunderstanding. And Ivy would definitely be coffee-flavoured ice cream, but I've never really actually given Trance's a thought. The thing is, I haven't tried many ice cream flavours to see how they actually taste like. LOL. But I'll keep that in my mind, and at the end of this story ( sometime far, far away from now ) I'll ask you if you still think mint and bitter chocolate bits still suit him! (x<br>That's an interesting way to see it! I love how thoughtful and insightful your reviews are. They're very profound. (x The thing is, while Trance avoids Ivy, Ivy also avoids Trance. As much as she loves him, it still hurts being with him, so she tries not to subject herself to it. I JUST WANT TO REVEAL EVERYTHING, BUT I CAN'T. -SOBS-  
>HAHA. The only reason you'd mess up getting into his head because I haven't shown him much, and I haven't revealed anything! I'm sure if you knew what I did, you'd be able to see him perfectly clear.<br>Oh yes. I adore Ivy. I can't be more biased towards her than I already am. HAHA. Complex is good. Complex makes her interesting to me, and a ton of fun to write.  
>Trance and Lydia are their actual names. xD The Tashiro family has an extremely vast and versatile ethnic background, since their clan goes way, WAY back. She IS part European, but she probably has a bit of five other ethnic cultures, too. But Japanese is her most prominent culture. xD Her grandmother, actually, is European. (x<br>No worries. HAHA. Pandora's Box seems like a nice way to put it. There are so many reasons why Ivy doesn't want the position, but I think that it'll be a lot later before everything is revealed. I hope you'll stick with me until then! (:  
>I'm glad I managed to get you to laugh! HAHA. I loved that part, too. It was just so <em>Ivy.<br>_She gets along very, VERY well with Gin, actually. You'll see the reason why in the next chapter! -beams- Nakaoka, however, is a different matter. XD  
>Thank you for your wonderful and amazing support, Anemos! I'm always happy to hear from you. I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! (:<p>

To **xXMizukiXx**;

ADSGNOAWNBOWEB. I UPDATED ON YOUR BIRTHDAY? ;O HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAYYYYYYYYYYYY! -throws confetti and hands you virtual presents- I hope that you had a wonderful celebration. Did you have a nice time? (x  
>LMAO. YES. THAT'S EXACTLY HOW IT PLAYED OUT. Ivy just couldn't understand why it was so tense. She found it so odd, and it confused her. She couldn't help but ask. xD<br>A big brother like Kaito? Oh, yes please. (x I plan to develop his relationship with Ivy a lot more as the story progresses. -beams-  
>YES! Innocence is practically Kenta's middle name. He's so pure and shy. It makes him so much fun to write about because he's so different from everyone else in the VK series. Kenta's family? It's not exactly a spoiler or anything, so I don't mind sharing. Kenta's actually an only child who has a mother and father who are alive and well and love him dearly. xD<br>I'm glad you liked the scene! LOL. I thought it would be boring to everyone, but I suppose not! ;D Cheryl would scold Ivy for every little thing if she could, but alas, she had to let Ivy flee from her grandparents! xP  
>Ohmy. You have no idea how much trouble will happen at camp. HAHA.<br>Thank you for always taking the time to offer me such lovely reviews, xXMizukiXx! I hope that you liked this chapter, too! (x

To **Simplicity-Shitsuboku**;

Trust me. You'll hate them to the lowest levels of hell once you find out.  
>And ah, his birthdaaaay. It's actually on February fourteenth, so he's born on Valentine's Day! A Valentine's baby! -grins-<br>Thank you for reviewing for me. It was short, sweet, and simple, but I still grinned nonetheless. I hoped you enjoyed the latest chapter! ;D

To **Fangirling Duck**;

;OOO! HOW WAS YOUR VACATION IN AFRICAAAAAAAA? Did you have a blast? ;D LOL. Thank you for sneaking on like a ninja and taking the time to read my work even though you weren't supposed to! That takes guts. (; FIST BUMP!  
>LMAO. I AGREE WITH YOU FOR THE YUUKI THING, BUT IVY CAN'T. SHE'S TOO... ANBNAEWPBEWB. She can't get mad at Yuuki so easily. OTL. A lot of it has to do with the fact that Ivy's so AWARE that Zero's totally in love with Yuuki, and she's scared that saying shit to Yuuki would make Zero suffer more than he already does. So she keeps her mouth shut. And she's compassionate, something that we seem to be lacking when it comes to Yuuki. LOL.<br>Argh, yeah. I honestly don't even. Writing about them makes me angry, but if they piss you off NOW... Dear god, just wait until you find out what they did.  
>LMFAO. THAT WAS SO HILARIOUS. I BURST INTO LAUGHTER UPON READING YOUR COMMENT. -DIES- But yes, Ivy cries in her sleep every time, which is one of the reasons why she avoids it so much.<br>I'M SORRY. I COULDN'T PUT KENTA INTO THIS CHAPTER, BUT I SWEAR HE'LL BE IN THE NEXT ONE. I PROMISE YOU. BUT! In place of Kenta, I added drama in this chapter. HOHOHO. And Ivy trying to be a badass. I'm not sure how well that worked, though. LOL.  
>Thank you! I adore you. ;D<br>Also, thank you for your awesome and laughter-inducing reviews! They always make my day. Seriously. XD I hope that you liked this chapter! Even though Kenta wasn't in it. OTL.

To **Whadeby**;

Well, I'm glad you love it so much! HAHA.  
>And ohmygod. I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN. Yuuki pisses me off to incredible extents. I have never hated a heroine as much as I hate Yuuki. It's a loathing passion, I swear. It pains me to write about her in my fanfics in such a nice light when all I do is bash on her in real life. -SHOT- I don't think vampires like cat food, though. LOL.<br>I'm so happy that you like that I don't just focus on the romance! I feel like a lot of people hate me for it, since it makes things ten million times slower, but I just can't write a story without developing all the characters until I'm satisfied. ASNBOEWANBOWEB.  
>YOUR PRAISE IS TOO AMAZING FOR ME TO TAKE. I'm delighted you love all my OCs, though! Trust me. There are more coming. A lot more. -SHOT-<br>Romantic, huh? LOL. Sadly, Ivy doesn't even know that what she feels for Zero is deeper than just comradeship or friendship. -sigh- Zero will warm up. Eventually. ;D  
>I love long reviews, so thank you for sending me in one! HAHA. Your grammar is fine to me, and Kenta prefers chocolate mousse over cookies! (x<br>Thank you for taking the time to send me a review and share your thoughts with me! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! ;D

To **thecoldforest**;

Ohmy. No. LOL. I would never write a story in first person with a canon character. It's too hard for me, I think. Third-person is the max. xD  
>HAHA. Well, it IS a ZeroxOC fanfic. xD I'm glad you love Ivy so much, though! It makes me happy to know you do, since I adore her the most out of all my OC heroines. She formed in my mind when I thought about how much I hated Yuuki. And how much Zero deserves happiness with someone aside from Yuuki. -DIES-<br>I'll try not to let you down, but I have no idea how well that'll work. LOL.  
>Honestly, I think Kaien is one of the easiest canon characters to keep in character! LOL. Maybe it's just my interpretation of him, but I've found him very easy to keep consistent. You don't have to keep saying sorry! I can take a joke. (;<br>NONO. Feel free to express your thoughts! If you think any of the characters are OOC, please tell me! I want to know! XD To be honest, I think that Zero was OOC in that chapter too. Somehow. Like, something about what he said just didn't seem to fit him, but no matter how many times I tried rewriting the scene, it just didn't work out. So eh.  
>Yes, Satoshi is the one that bakes! HAHA. I'd say they both give the most amazing bear hugs to be honest. (x<br>OH YES. Arashi is so adorable, I don't even. I think that if you forced him to live with Kaname for a month, Kaname would dot on him for the rest of his life. xD  
>I'm so glad that you like Ivy so much! HAHA. And that you think she's perfect for Zero! I love their relationship. It's like a battle, but one that they don't even know they're fighting. For Kenta, well. How he feels for Ivy can be interpreted in numerous ways, and I won't define his emotions... Yet. We''ll see how it goes, though. ;D<br>Aww, no, thank YOU! I'm so happy to have such amazing readers who are so thoughtful and supportive! I doubt I'll ever get into longs blocks with Heterochromia since I love Ivy so much, so no worries!  
>Thank you so, so much for sharing your thoughts with me! I hope to have you on board with me until the end! I hope you liked the latest chapter. (x<p>

To **Juliedoo**;

LMAO. WHY ARE YOU SO FUNNY? -DIES-  
>I'm so glad you love this story, though! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. Your praises are going to inflate my ego so much that I won't be able to see anymore. xDDD<br>To be honest, I never thought about Ivy being a foil. LIKE, THAT PROBABLY SOUNDS SO WEIRD. But she had never formed inside my mind as one, even if she turned out to be. LOL. When I started the planning stages of this fanfic, I had such a clear sense of who and how she is, I don't think I ever gave it much thought about using any literary devices or anything. xD  
>But yes. Please let Yuuki just... Just... I don't even. I hope that bus runs over her, then pulls into reverse and runs over her again. Then drives forward again over her before turning a corner and getting off without charges. -SHOT- I JUST. I CAN'T. I loathe her. With a passion. )x Although I probably shouldn't bash and be so hard on her. -sigh-<br>ASDNBOWENOB. Why, thank you! (x I finally updated! YAY!  
>Thank you for sharing with me your thoughts and taking the time to drop me a review! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapterrrrrrrrrrr! ;D<p>

END OF RESPONSES.

I know I keep saying this, but I swear that I always end up responding to, like, almost each and every single reviewer. I don't even. xD

**QUESTION: How do you guys feel about Kaname in general? Or how do you feel about him and Ivy in this chapter? **

_NOTE:_To those of you who answered the previous chapter in the last chapter, I answered it in my walls of text in my response to you! I hope that you guys are satisfied. HAHA. Thank you for taking the time to even answer! -BEAMS-

There's not much to say. I apologized for not having Kenta in this chapter, right? OTL. BUT LIKE I SAID. He'll be in the next one. Promise. xD And there SHOULD be a major ZeroxIvy scene. I'm not sure how it'll turn out, but there should be one in there. And maybe some Aidou. ;D

I hope that you guys had a nice holiday and that going back to school wasn't TOO bad! And I hope that you guys started off the new year with a huge bang! (x

I hope to see you guys REAAALLLY soon!

Feel free to drop me a review telling me your thoughts!

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	19. Plastic Footprints

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters. All rights belong solely to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N:**

So, guys... VK updated.

All I can really say is: ASDFGHJKL. ASDGNOWENGOBWAE?! OMWAEV OASC,PWVNOSDNOAW. ,VENWOGHBKVXMQ.

I don't even.

It's been a bit over a week since the chapter came out, I think. Or, well, a bit over a week since I actually read it. So you guys all know what that means. Whenever VK updates, I write like a madwoman to get a chapter out even if I needa neglect everything to do it.

BECAUSE REALLY. I CAN'T EVEN.

I'm torn about the latest chapter, guys. Seriously. And I think that a lot of you would be so surprised, but I actually _like _Kaname, since I find him a really interesting character. He's an asshole a lot of the time, and I think that a lot of people think he's evil or whatever, but he's fascinating to me. As, you know, a character. -SHOT- I DON'T LOVE HIM THE WAY I LOVE ZERO, THOUGH.

I just. I don't know. Too many different feelings about it. WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT THE LATEST CHAPTER OF VK'S MANGA? Please save me from this confusion of feelings.

On the other hand? Enjoy this update of Heterochromia! (x

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER NINETEEN;**

_"Plastic Footprints"_

* * *

><p>Stopping just as he reached me, the onyx-haired Day Class student gave me a sheepish, apologetic smile as he rubbed the back of his neck with a large hand. His cheeks were tinged with a noticeable pink hue. "Good—Good morning."<p>

I smiled at him. This morning was colder than all the others, the temperature dropping quite a bit from yesterday morning, when I had been speaking with Kaname. "Hey."

"I'm _so _sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to make you wait, but I couldn't find my necktie and I ended up going back into the dorm because I forgot my wallet after getting halfway here. I would've left it, but I have—" Upon realizing that he was rambling, the male shut his mouth, looking embarrassed and flustered. His crimson pools darkened.

"It's fine, it's fine," I reassured him with a laugh. I raised an eyebrow upon seeing the mess that was supposed to be his tie. Reaching forward, I undid the knot for him and started retying it. When I finished and was satisfied with the way it looked, I grinned up at him. "Your tie was so crooked I almost thought a mouse did it for you."

"T-Thank you," he murmured. He blinked down at me for a moment and then asked, "Is there anything you'd like to do, Ivy-san?"

Our original plan had been for me to watch the boys' basketball team's morning practice, but he had found out yesterday, late in the afternoon, that it was canceled. We decided to hang out in the morning despite that, since he was going to be busy after school for the next few days due to an upcoming kendo competition.

I made a contemplative noise. "Is the gym open even though practice isn't in session?"

Kenta shook his head, but informed me, "As Vice-Captain, I can get the key, though. Why do you ask?"

"How about I verse you one on one?"

His eyes widened as he stared at me. "You play?"

"No." I grinned up at him, laughing at his expression. "But I think that it'd be fun. Or you can show me how you play."

A smile stretched across his handsome face, though he shook his head at me. "I was really surprised since I thought you played. If that's what you'd like to do, then I'm up for it."

"Definitely. I'm kind of disappointed that practice was canceled," I admitted to him as we began heading towards the Day Class building. "It sucks because I won't be able to attend any of your practices until after winter break."

Curious, he looked down at me. "Are you busy for the next two weeks?"

"Yeah. I need to do something, so I won't be here," I sighed. Thinking about the training camp that I was supposed to help instruct made my mood dampen slightly. I was excited to have the privilege to do such a thing, but I still wasn't sure if it was a good idea for me to go. After all, Trance was going to be there. Not to mention Nakaoka Emi absolutely _hated _me.

Kenta opened his mouth for a moment before he shut it closed, his eyebrows pulling together. "You mean... you won't be here _at all_?"

"It's like I'm leaving early for vacation," I answered with a slight smile. I just hoped that it would be a pleasant one. I knew how some teenagers acted, and I could only hope that they _weren't _ridiculously rowdy and rebellious.

"B-But you'll miss the Winter Dance!" he exclaimed, sounding a bit horrified. "It's one of the only times that the Day and Night Class students are able to interact on a more friendly level!"

The said dance was only a week and a half away, but everyone was already preparing for it. I never really noticed it when I had come back from the Association a few days ago, but if I actually took time to observe what the Day Classes were doing, I realized that they were preparing hard for the special night. From what I knew, it was an incredibly big deal for the Day Class. The Night Class wasn't nearly as excited, but I had heard Aidou talking about it in class one evening with Akatsuki.

If I had to be honest with myself, I _was_ a bit disappointed that I'd miss the opportunity to attend. Like I had told Shiki yesterday, I never had any chances to appear at dances or evening balls. Wearing dresses and dolling oneself up sounded fun, since I never had such a chance previously. Still, I wasn't completely crushed that I would be missing it. I knew that there would be other occasions to do that stuff, and it wasn't like the Winter Dance happened only once every century. It was an annual event, so missing it just once didn't seem like _that _big of a deal to me.

It wasn't like I really had a choice, anyways.

Looking up at Kenta, I reminded him, "I mingle with both Classes regardless of what day or event it is. It's not really that big of a deal for me as it is for others."

"I-I guess so, but..." he trailed off, letting out a long exhale. His features scrunched up adorably as he said, "A lot of people will be disappointed."

"Really? Why?" I inquired curiously. "Are the decorations or something not to their liking?"

"No, it's not—the decorations don't have anything to do with it." Kenta's lips pressed together tightly, and his eyes darted around. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black Day Class pants, and clarified, "The... guys will be disappointed that they won't be able to see you at the dance, Ivy-san."

Upon hearing this, my eyebrows shot up to my hairline. "_Why_? I mean, everyone sees me enough already. I'm always walking around. I'm practically _everywhere_. It's got to have gotten annoying by now." I rolled my eyes at myself, but I grinned up at him.

"It's not that, either." There was a small pause. "It's—it's difference at a dance. They want to see you—at dances, people tend to—a lot of the time, guys—you don't... You don't get what I'm trying to say, do you?" he eventually asked, sighing.

"Not really," I admitted. He kept stopping his sentences halfway, trying to reword what he was going to say. He seemed to try so hard to phrase it right, but then he would change his mind and start all over again. I felt like I should've understood what he was attempting to tell me, but I just didn't get it. "Sorry."

"No, no!" he immediately objected. "Don't apologize. I'm just... I'm horrible at explaining things. I'm sorry."

I gave him a look. "You can't just tell me I'm not supposed to apologize for not understanding and then turn around and say sorry for not being able to explain things the way you want to."

Kenta let out a small laugh. "That's true."

"You should take lots of pictures for me. I want to see you all dressed up in formal clothing, Kenta." I grinned up at him as we climbed the concrete steps up to the main entrance of the Day Class building.

His face was tomato red, the colour spreading to the tips of his ears. He cleared his throat as he opened up the door for me. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Thank you," I told him as I passed by, entering the building first. It was much, _much _warmer inside, and I welcomed it. When he was back by my side, we made our way to the office in order to get the gym key. "And why not? I'm sure that you'd look fantastic a suit."

"You give me too much credit," he murmured humbly, though it was evident that he actually meant it. There was a timid look that mingled with his embarrassed expression.

Shaking my head at him, I corrected, "You just don't give yourself _enough_. Remember that talk we had a few weeks ago about how others perceive you?" The conversation was still etched into my mind crystal clear. He had sounded like a lost little boy when we had spoken, and his cheeks were so dark they looked like almost purple. Thinking back on it made me smile, because he was just so _innocent_.

A soft groan left Kenta's lips, and he threw his head back, shaking it slightly. One of his hands came up to cover his face as he mumbled, "Please don't bring that up, Ivy-san. That wasn't one of my best moments."

Laughing, I nudged him lightly in the side with my elbow. "Oh come _on_. You were adorable."

He shook his head again, running his hand through his short, messy hair. "Being called 'adorable' isn't exactly something guys take pride in."

Raising an eyebrow at him in amusement, I teased, "Then would you like me to list all those things about you like I had done that time? I remember calling you kind, compassionate, and amazingly handso—"

"Okay, Ivy-san, that's enough!" His hand clamped down on my mouth to stop me from speaking. His head was turned away from me, but I was sure his face could've been hot enough to fry an egg. Steam practically radiated off of him.

My body shook as I laughed silently, his hand still covering my mouth. When he stole a peek at me, I merely stared back at him brightly, my lips pulled upwards into a smile. I was sure he could tell.

Slowly, he removed his hand from my face. "I had asked you not to bring that up, too," he murmured pathetically, face still aflame.

"Sorry," I grinned, "but you practically set yourself up for it! And besides, it's not like it's a _bad _thing to be called amaz—"

"Wait here for me!" he exclaimed, interrupting me urgently as we stopped a few feet away from the closed office doors. He clearly couldn't take any compliments. I could practically hear his blood rushing to his cheeks. Refusing to let me get a word out, Kenta hurried toward the office without me, one of his hands coming up to rub the back of his neck. I watched him knock and enter the office, a view of his clear side profile allowing me to see just how red and shy he looked.

My lips were pulled into a smile so wide, I was sure that my face would've broken if it stretched even a millimeter more. I was happy to spend time with Kenta. Whenever I was with him, I felt like so many weights had been lifted off my shoulders. He wasn't involved in any of the supernatural, so even if it was temporary, it made me feel like I was human, too.

When he came back, his face was still red, though not as crimson as it had been when he had walked in. He showed me the two keys in his hand—one for the gym and one for the storage room—and we began heading towards one of the many massive gymnasiums.

We talked about numerous things as we strolled to the gym. When we had gotten there, he opened up the equipment room and pulled out the large metal-fenced container with the basketballs in them. At first, we had only pulled one of the basketball hoops out, since he wanted to teach me the basics before we ended up playing a game. Needless to say, Kenta was a wonderful teacher. I didn't even need to know anything about the sport to know that he knew _exactly _what he was doing and what he was saying.

After I got the hang of it, we ended up playing a handful of games. Kenta absolutely _destroyed _me. It was completely ridiculous—being a vampire didn't seem to help me _at all_. Or, well, I knew that if I went full-out it would've aided me, but that would've been too conspicuous. Even without giving it my best, I was still supposed to be faster and more instinctive than the average human. Kenta, though, stole the ball from me easily numerous times and was able to shoot it into the hoop with deadly accuracy. He made it look so easy, but I was practically dying from how difficult I found it. I didn't understand how he was able to look so graceful when he played.

Collapsing onto the gym floor, I shook my head at him as we finished our recent game. "You're a _monster _at this sport, Kenta! How are you not captain?!"

He let out a timid, but beautiful laugh as he crossed the distance between us, dribbling the ball skillfully as he did so. When he got to me, he caught the orange sphere in his hands and sat down across from me. "I'm not good enough to be captain. Everyone says that he'll go pro."

"Are you serious?" That was insane. I couldn't imagine anyone being better than Kenta, but then again, I wasn't too familiar with basketball. Nonetheless, the fact that he was able to be swifter than I was said something about his skills. "That's crazy."

"Tell me about it," he chuckled.

Crossing my legs, I ran a hand through my disheveled hair, trying to get the strands out of my face. I leaned back on my palms and said, "That was fun. I can see why I always hear girls talking about how cool you are."

"Wha—what are you _talking _about?" Blood rushed to his cheeks again, enhancing the pink hue that had been splashed on his cheeks from running around.

Tilting my head at him, I smiled in amusement. "You know what I mean. I'm sure that a ton of girls are just dying to be your date for the Winter Dance. You've probably already received a million invitations."

"W-Well... That's..." he struggled to think of a legitimate protest, but it was obvious that he couldn't. It would've been surprising if he _hadn't _gotten asked out by a lot of girls. Kenta was so incredibly endearing, and he emitted a certain charm that made others automatically feel affection for him.

Grinning, I asked, "Does that mean you have a date?"

He opened his mouth, like he wanted to say something, but then he seemed to think better of it and ended up shaking his head instead.

"You don't have anyone you want to go with?" I asked him curiously, mildly surprised. With so many different people at Cross Academy, I was sure that he would've found _someone _that he was infatuated with. The variety of personalities at this school was astonishing, and there were some very unbelievably marvelous people.

Kenta looked like he was struggling with what to say. I waited patiently for him, taking in the way he looked nervous. One of his hands came up to the nape of his neck again, while the other one played around with the basketball. His grey eyes were trained on the polished gym floor, his face red as he admitted, "T-There's... There's this one girl that I... might... be interested in."

Maybe a small squeal of giddiness left me, but I wasn't sure. I leaned forward in eager anticipation, my eyes and smile bright. "Did you ask her to go with you?"

Shaking his head, Kenta murmured, "No."  
><em><br>"What_? Why not?" I demanded. "I'm sure she'd say yes!"

He stayed silent for a moment before flushing darker and admitting quietly, "S-She's really intimidating."

"What are you talking about? She might _seem _intimidating, but I'm sure she's wonderful. Is she a Day Class student?" I asked him curiously. I didn't know many of the Day Class students personally, so it would be hard for me to know who was speaking of. However, if the girl was in the Night Class, I would have a better idea of what she'd be like.

Eyes still trained onto the floor, Kenta slowly shook his head. "She's—she's in the Night Class."

"I wish I could put in a good word for you," I told him with a sigh. "But even though I'm in the Night Class myself, I'm still not very close to any of them. It's not Yuuki, is it? Because she's—"

"It's not Yuuki-san," Kenta cut me off gently.

"Rima's also—"

"It's not Rima-san either," he replied.

"I don't think that Ruka would—"

"Ruka-san _is _intimidating," Kenta confessed with a small chuckle, "but she's not the one I want to ask to the dance."

My nose wrinkled as I thought about it. I really didn't know many people in the Night Class, and I knew that I probably wouldn't be able to guess it right even if I tried. I didn't want to pry the answer out of him though, so I settled for resigning.

Just then, the warning bell started to ring throughout the building, signaling that everyone had ten minutes before classes started. Kenta and I rose up from where we sat and hastily began cleaning up.

As we finished putting everything back into place, I grinned up at him. "Well, I hope that you ask her soon. Tell me how it goes, okay?"

His stormy grey eyes locked with mine. He was staring at me so seriously, I could only gaze back with bafflement written all over my face. I blinked at him, waiting for him to say something or tell me that I had crumbs stuck on my face from the cheesecake I had devoured before meeting up with him. A few heartbeats thudded by, and his face began to flood with colour.

"Kenta?" I asked quietly. "What's wrong?"

He inhaled. "A-Actually, Ivy-san, I was wondering if you'd—"

"Aoyama-kun?" A female voice rang out through the vacant gym. Kenta and I both jumped at the unexpected intrusion, our heads whipping over to see the Day Class student who appeared at the door. Her eyes widened when she saw me, her face flushing. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything."

My lips pulled into a grin. "It's fine. We were just talking." When I looked back at Kenta expectantly, he blinked down at me. His shoulders slumped—I didn't realize he had been tense until he had relaxed.

Shaking his head, he offered me a small smile. "It's nothing."

"Are you sure?" I asked, unconvinced.

"Yes." He looked like he _really _didn't want me to push the subject, so I didn't. I knew that there were times to corner others, and when it was just going to be too much. Kenta looked like he was going to die a bit if I pressed on the topic.

Nodding slowly, I said, "Okay. Well, you've got to go, right? Have fun in your classes, and good luck with your practices! I hope that you get the girl, Kenta." I smiled at him as I began backing away. "And if I don't end up seeing you again before winter break, I hope that you have a magnificent one. Remember to take pictures at the dance for me!" I waved brightly before whirling around and exiting from the door on the other side of the gym, which led outside.

The moment I opened the door, the cold nipped at my skin and made me shiver a bit. Pulling at the sleeves of my burgundy hoodie so that they completely covered up my hands, I also slipped the hood up over my head. It was large and nearly covered my eyes, but I felt much warmer.

As I began walking back to the Dawn Dorms, I couldn't help but wonder what Kenta was about to say. He looked like he was struggling to get it out—I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to be worried or not. From the way he turned red, I had a feeling that it wasn't anything life-threatening, but that just left me burning with curiosity.

Sighing softly, I watched as my breath turned into visible white vapour from the cold. It made me smile in amusement at it, albeit I had seen it before. My eyes wandered around the scenery around me, only to fall on an object laying on the floor a few steps ahead. When I got close enough to distinguish it, I realized that it was a letter sealed within a pretty, cute envelope. Picking it up off the floor, I looked to see who it was addressed to and who it was from. I ended up finding, "To Aidou-senpai" on the front written in beautiful handwriting, but there was no name on the back to indicate who it was from.  
><em><br>A love letter, _I mused. I wasn't going to open it just to see who the sender was, and I wasn't surprised that Aidou had a female admirer, but I had to admit that I was intrigued. I held onto the letter gingerly as I took the upcoming left turn, changing my destination to the Moon Dorms. I'd leave it on the glass table that was situated in the room right after the foyer, since it was so visible there.

And it was during my path through the thick forest that barricaded the Moon Dorms when I stumbled across a scene that had my eyes widening and my heart skipping beats in my chest.

Silver strands of hair fell into the eyes of a certain hunter who was seated on the floor, his broad back pressed into the trunk of an old tree. His hands were planted at his sides, his expression solemn as always, though it seemed to lack a scowl. It held a nearly defiant look as he gazed over the brunette Pureblood's shoulder, like he was trying to forget. To ignore it. She, on the other hand, gripped at his shoulders tightly with her small hands, her silky tresses of straight brown hair falling around her.

My eyes were wide as I stared at the two of them in front of me. I knew _exactly _what they were doing—no matter how hard I tried to conjure up something else, I couldn't. There was only one explanation as to what was occurring, and I felt like I was frozen in my spot. My heart thudded harder in my chest, the sound boisterous in my ears. But it pounded in horror. In anger. In aggravation. In irritation. In sadness. So many emotions whirled around within me; I didn't even know what I was feeling. I felt shock ricochet inside me of, echoing louder and louder rather than fading. My throat seemed to close.

With what seemed like immense effort, I managed to hide behind a tree. I pressed my back deeply against it, as if leaning on it for support to hold me up. In a way, I was. The hand that wasn't holding Aidou's love letter fisted to the point where my knuckles turned white.

"Hey." Zero's quiet voice suddenly tore through their little world. "My heart isn't meant for you to peer into."

There was some rustling, but I didn't dare turn around to look to see what was going on between them. I was sure that if I saw the duo, I'd end up snapping. There were so many emotions bubbling up inside of me, and my stomach clenched painfully. Disappointment and exasperation seemed to envelope me tighter and tighter as the seconds ticked by.

"I didn't do that intentionally," was her reply. Considering the fact that she was able to talk, it was safe to assume that she had finished feeding from him. "I'm not like a certain someone, who takes enjoyment in prying into other people's minds."

"What...?" Zero's gentle tone was tainted faintly with confusion.

"I didn't mean to say that!" Yuuki immediately exclaimed, sounding somewhat flustered. "Zero, you're—" she paused, giving up on that sentence as she picked up a new one. "I'm sorry for not being able to control my thirst, Zero. Thank you for what you've done." There was silence for a few more moments. I was sure that they were staring at one another, their eyes speaking more than a thousand words. I was sure that they both wanted nothing more than to stay surrounded in their own little bubble forever.

But her footsteps began to start, and no goodbyes were exchanged between the two of them as she left.

A part of me was screaming at me to go and stop her. To demand to know her intentions. To ask her if she knew just exactly _what _she had done. Yet another part of me told me to let her leave; she wasn't the only one that I wanted to speak with. Not only that, but I felt like I could understand her, even if it was a bit.

She loved him. It was that simple, but it was also so incredibly complex. She couldn't be blamed for feeling such an emotion. The fact that her thirst couldn't be completely sated by Kaname was normal if she still had lingering feelings for Zero, and yet...

Solemnity graced my features, my eyes dark as I stepped out from where I had been hiding. I stood with my hands stuffed into the large pocket of my pullover, my large hood creating a shadow across the top half of my face.

The moment I took a step, Zero's head whipped over to where I was. His eyes widened just a fraction before they returned to their normal size, his scowl deep, his orbs cold. "How long were you there?"

"Long enough," came my quiet response. As I watched him lift up a hand to cover up the punctures, I couldn't help but feel nauseous. It took every single fiber of self-restraint I possessed to stop myself from yelling. After snapping at Mana a few days ago at the Association, I had learned that breaking things really didn't help improve the situation.

A small, displeased grunt left the tattooed hunter. "You should mind your own business, Tashiro."

"You _are _my business." My hands tightened. "Zero, what were you thinking?"

"I'm not interested in a lecture," came his somewhat snappy retort.

My voice came out in a whisper. "Why? Why are you both like this? How come you both always do things that end up hurting each other so much, even though you guys love each other? It's like you both purposely reopen healing wounds and then rub salt all over them. I don't _understand_." Frustration leaked into my voice, and my throat felt tight.

"You don't need to." His voice was glacial, the smooth baritone rimmed with frost. He pulled his hand away from his neck as the blood stopped. He began to push himself up onto his feet again.

Shaking my head at him ferociously, I objected, "No, I need to understand. I need to know why you do this to yourself. Do you have any idea how you look, Zero? The way you always look so miserable? You love her, and it's breaking you apart. Yet it's like you welcome it. The fact that you let her drink from you says _everything_. By letting that happen, you threw away everything that the Association stands for. You _know _this. But you still did it."

"None of this is your concern." There was an edge to his voice now. "Don't butt in where you're not wanted." He took a step, clearly preparing to leave. Before he could even blink, I had grabbed him by his tie and slammed him into the tree trunk once more, my forearm pressing into his chest. His eyes burned into the top of my head as he stared down at me.

"I don't care if I'm not _wanted_ in your relationship with her." My gaze was fixated on our pairs of shoes, because my heart continued to jerk painfully. When breathing felt so difficult already, I wasn't sure how it'd be like if I had to look up at him to see how broken he was. "I didn't intend to get so worked up about it when I first came, but you don't have _any _idea how much it hurts to watch you two. How frustrating it is. I want to rip my hair out half the time, and I want to punch both of you guys in the face almost all the time, hoping to knock some sense into both of you."

It was like he didn't hear me. "Let me go."

I ignored him as I continued on in a quiet, but fierce voice, "Who do you think you _are_, Zero? A single clone created along with a thousand other ones? _No. _You're simply _you. _There's only one of you in the entire world. I can go and find someone with the same face as you, the same voice, the same personality, but you'd both still be entirely _different_. Why can't you understand that you're completely irreplaceable? That you can't go around intentionally breaking yourself like this, because when you end up succeeding, _what am I going to be left with? _I don't want to see you broken. I don't intend to let it happen. I've decided that I'm going to do whatever it takes to help you achieve happiness, but why are you making it so _hard_?"

Floodgates opened. All the emotion that I had been bottling up inside of me just came rushing out so fast, so uncontrollably. All the exasperation, disappointment, anger, bitterness, melancholy, sadness, misery—just _everything_. It all came tumbling out. So many different feelings assaulted me that I was entirely overwhelmed by them, but instead of leaving me speechless and struggling to get the right words out, it was the complete and utter opposite. My thoughts formed words that fell from my lips swiftly even though my chest was tight and I felt like something was swelling inside of me.

In the back of my mind, I realized that I _was_ snapping again, but in a different way. I wasn't yelling or breaking any objects to vent my anger and sentiments, but no matter how someone looked at it, I wasn't exactly _calm_, either.

My grip on the red Day Class tie tightened, the material straining. My eyes remained staring at the floor as if it was the most fascinating thing on earth. I saw the veins in all the dead leaves, the way they were lightly frosted around the edges. I took notice of how there was a speck of white on my left shoe.

I still couldn't return his gaze.

Continuing my quiet, but frustration-filled tirade, I demanded, "Do you have _any_ idea just how worried I am about you? How concerned Kaito, Yagari, and Kaien are? We're always watching you, always wondering what's going to happen. We're always supporting you, even though you push us away and say you don't need it. You're so _obstinate_! You can't seem to get it through your thick skull that she's not the only person who cares about you, Zero. Can't you see that you have other people who are trying their best for you? Do you know how they feel to see you blow them off like that, but then come back with such a sorrowful look in your eyes?"

When his hand came up to grip the wrist of the forearm that was pushing him into the trunk, I couldn't help but feel something inside of me crumble. Through the thick material of my pullover, I could tell that his hand was cold due to being outside in such weather. At the same time though, his hand felt like it was on fire.

The strong, intense gaze that rested on me didn't disappear for even a second.

"Tashiro." I wasn't able to decipher the way he spoke. His voice sounded odd to me—I hadn't ever heard him say anything in such a tone before. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

It was so quiet.

A prickling sensation hit the back of my eyes the exact moment that his voice fluttered through my ears. The stabbing ache that I felt in my heart only increased tenfold, my stomach dropping ten feet underground.

I blinked hard, inhaling deeply as I tried to get rid of the painful tickling sensation from behind my eyes. I knew what it was a signal for. And I was trying so desperately to stop it from happening.

Pressing my lips into a tight line, I reminded myself that I couldn't cry. I told myself that no matter what happened, if I cried, it would all be over. It was a chant that I repeated again and again, the words replaying over and over to engrave themselves into me.

There had been many times that I wanted to cry. Numerous occasions had come up that made me want to shed tears for myself due to my own personal sentiments or thoughts. The desire to simply breakdown for a while had crossed my mind plenty of times due to all the pressure, the bitter emotions, the breaking words.

But if I broke down... I was scared that I couldn't ever stand up again.

My tensed form relaxed, the pressure I had been using to keep him against the trunk lessening. My grip on his tie loosened, my shoulders slumping in what seemed like resignation or defeat. I was still so angry and so frustrated, and I still wanted to rip my hair out and slap him, but I was so tired. For some reason, I felt... _numb_.

Shaking my head, I confessed quietly, "I'm sick of this, Zero. I'm so sick of seeing you two dance on your tip-toes around each other. It's glaringly obvious that you two both have some kind of special relationship. No matter how hard you try to hide it, everyone can still see it. Maybe it's _because_ you try so desperately to hide it is what makes you a tragedy. It hurts the people around you—the people who care about you even if you believe otherwise—to see you like this. You love her. So _what_? Why is that such a crime? Why do you feel the need to separate yourself from her? Why do you need to pretend like you don't feel like that?"

Releasing him completely, I took small, slow steps back away from him. The light warmth that his body provided in the cold weather disappeared, and I stuffed my hands into the pocket of my pullover so that he didn't see the way they were clenched so hard that the skin straining against my knuckles felt like it was breaking. I stared straight at his chest, the tense silence between us not even disturbed with slight flinches when a strong, rough wind blew by. The hood that I had been wearing flipped back from the force of the breeze, but I made no move to pull it back up again.

Eventually, as his eyes pierced into my skull, he broke the silence with his hushed baritone. "Are you done?"

I barked out a laugh, but it sounded like a tornado of bitterness, anger, vacancy, and amusement. My head slid side to side slowly once more, and I ran a hand through my strands of hair. "You know, Zero... What am I to you? What are Kaien, Yagari, Kaito—what are we all to you? People who are simply there? People whose existences are blended into the background of your life? Your world shouldn't revolve around her. But... you make it seem like it does while pretending it doesn't. I feel like you don't understand that it doesn't work that way. You can't have her as the sun in the solar system and then say that your Earth revolves around Saturn."

There was a pause, and I took another step back further into the thin, long shadows that the bare trees provided. I didn't want to stay here longer with him, because I felt like I was being suffocated. It was so confining, so choking. The way he chained himself made me feel like I was also being restrained, oppressed, rooted.

I didn't want to be reminded of the feeling even more than I already was.

Inhaling, I let out a breath that could've sounded like a chuckle at the last second. "People walk in and out of your life all the time. I think that those that end up walking out weren't meant to be in my life in the first place. But you're different—when she got up to go, you let her, but just as she was about to leave, you stopped her. And now you're both at a standstill at doorway, unmoving because you're both unsure of where to go. Unsure of what you both want—_need_.

"I said that I think people who disappear from my life are people who weren't really supposed to be there in the first place. But..." For the first time since the conversation, I dragged my eyes up to clash with his, and I felt like his gaze penetrated me to the core. "At the same time, I think that there are some people worth fighting for."

There was no smile on my face as I blinked at him for another moment, feeling like I was caving in, before I pivoted on my heels and began walking away. The smooth paper that made up the envelope of Aidou's love letter against the backs of my fingers reminded me that I couldn't go straight back to the Dawn Dorm and vent out my frustrations by screaming into a pillow, but that I had to pay the ice-user a visit.

Before I entered the labyrinth of trees and out of the safety of the clearing, I stopped. Without turning around to look at him, I murmured, "You need to decide whether or not you're going to fight for her, Zero. If you're going to fight for what you have together. And if you decide that you will, then you can't hold back."

Three heartbeats.

And then I walked away without looking back.

* * *

><p>The door flung open, revealing the person that I wanted to see. His handsome, prince-like features were contorted into a deep, irritated scowl and his wavy locks of hair seemed a bit messier than usual. His dark sapphire orbs shone with displeasure as he gazed down at me, dressed in expensive-looking pajamas that matched his eyes.<p>

"What do you want?" was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

Still riled up and strung tightly from what had occurred with Zero, I didn't offer him a smile or one of my happy-go-lucky responses. Instead, I pulled the love letter out of my pocket and pushed it into his chest with a bit more force than necessary. He sputtered in surprise, and I slanted him a gaze as I turned, preparing to leave. "Bye."

I was halfway down the long, straight path that led to the Moon Dorm's main gates when I heard his footsteps pounding after me. "Oi, oi, oi!" he yelled. "Wait, Tashiro!" He grabbed at my arm roughly, pulling me back and swiveling me to face him.

My eyebrows pulled together. "What is it?"

"Are you _crazy_?" he demanded from me, waving the pretty envelope in front of my face. His expression was a cross between horrified, suspicious, confused and smug. "How can you just push this into my chest like that and expect me to be _okay _with it?!"

I eyed the love letter in befuddlement. "Why wouldn't you be?"

"For one thing," he started in a somewhat incredulous tone, "when the _hell _did you fall in love with me?"

"_What_?" I stared at him with wide, surprised eyes for a moment, wondering whether he had gone insane or not, before I realized the misunderstanding. I burst out laughing despite the fact that I had been in a foul mood.

He thought—Aidou believed that _I_—oh god, my stomach began to hurt from how hard I was laughing.

Folding his arms across his chest, Aidou tapped one foot impatiently as he grimaced. "What's so funny?"

Shaking my head at him as I breathed to calm myself down, I grinned in amusement. "That's not a love letter from _me_."

"I—it's not?" Aidou blinked at me, looking off guard. The expression on his face in that split second made him look more vulnerable, more amiable. His eyebrows knitted together as his eyes darted down to what he held in his hands. "Then who's it from?"

"I don't know," I told him with a small shrug. "I found it on the ground earlier. I think it might have slipped out of her bag or her books when she was walking to class and she just didn't notice."

The blond aristocrat's frown deepened. He muttered, "Who forgets to write their name on a love letter?"

Seeing how troubled he seemed by the lack of a name from his admirer made me raise my eyebrows at him. The question slipped out before I knew it. "Why does it matter? You get tons of those, don't you?"

His eyes snapped up upon hearing my words, and something flashed in his crystal oceans before disappearing just as fast. Aidou smoothed his expression into the one that he usually had adorning his face. "Mind your own business."  
><em><br>Oh_, my mind whispered as I blinked at him. A small smile began to crawl on my face as I continued watching him, feeling like I was beginning to understand Aidou a little bit more than before. The way he held the love letter was gentle and careful, the way he looked at it a mix of remorse and delight. There was no arrogance or superiority radiating off of him, something that seemed so incredibly unusual.

"Why are you smiling like an idiot?" he snapped at me, catching the look on my face.

My teeth flashed. "No reason."

He huffed, looking away from me. Pursing his lips, he dismissed, "You can leave now if you didn't come for anything else."

A part of me wanted to stay with him just a little longer—Aidou was amusing in a way that made me forget all my negative emotions for just a little while. Unlike Ichijou, who'd pick up on it and question me on it, or Shiki, who'd drop random bombs on me, Aidou's fresh irritation with me was entertaining.

So I ended up asking teasingly, "What, I don't get a 'thank you' for coming to deliver it to you?"

He gave me a look. "No way! I didn't even _ask _you to come here and give it to me. You did it yourself! Why should I thank you for something you decided to do yourself?"

"But it's a precious _love letter_," I protested. "It's something significant!"

"You nearly gave me a heart attack by shoving that at me and not even explaining who it was from!" he shot back. "Do you know how appalled I was, thinking that you were declaring your love for me?"

My jaw dropped open in disbelief, but the smile was in my voice as I returned his banter. "Why in the world would you think that _I _would give you a love letter in the first place?"

"Well, I don't know," he said sarcastically. "Maybe it's because it was _you _who handed it to me?" He shook his head and raked his hand through his hair. "You know what? I refuse to stand out here and argue with an idiot."

"_You're _the one in pajamas," I pointed out with a grin, gesturing to his attire.

His expression twisted slightly, mildly speechless before regaining himself again. Pretending not to be deterred by it, he declared, "These are _designer _pajamas, Tashiro. Not that I'd expect you to know."

"Oh yes," I agreed with amused sarcasm. "They look _really _different from normal pajamas."

His eyes narrowed into a glower. "You clearly can't understand fashion."

A wide grin. "Want to educate me in it, then?"

"_No_!" came his instant response. He opened his mouth before shutting it, features contorting. He took a few seconds to gather himself before saying, "You'd be absolutely hopeless. I don't want your stupidity to rub off on me."

Unable to help it, I laughed. Beaming up at him, I remarked, "So you think I'm so influential that I—"

"Okay, that's _it_!" he cut me off, reaching out and spinning me around to face the gates. He ignored my laughter as he pushed me down the path and out the entrance, slamming it shut the moment I was out of the way. He stared at me from the other side of the black steel barrier. "_Don't _come back!"

"I will definitely come for a visit," I promised, smiling brightly at the fierce glower that he gave me. I waved at him and said my farewells before turning around and making my way back to the Dawn Dormitory, my mood much lighter than before.

But as I left, I couldn't help but be extremely aware of Aidou's burning gaze glued to my back, giving off the sensation that he was watching me with knowing eyes.

* * *

><p>"Thank you," I told the driver with a smile, handing him the money with a tip. I took my suitcase and duffle bag from him, waving in goodbye as he got into the sleek black automobile and drove away after a few more pleasantries.<p>

Turning to face the area that I'd once again be spending two weeks in, my eyes fluttered over the enormous log cabin, the medium-sized warehouse, the log benches that surrounded a circle of rocks that would eventually line the campfire, and the large spaces with trunks that had markings on them. A smile automatically pulled at my lips as I made my way down the bumpy dirt path toward the cabin with the dark wooden door, picking up my suitcase easily as I hopped up the steps. I didn't even have the chance to knock on the door before it flung open.

With his bangs slicked back carelessly, a few strands of his obsidian locks fell into his glittering, light chocolate eyes as he looked at me. With an amazing grin gracing his smooth, angular features, he threw his arms out wide and asked, "How's my _favourite _sister-in-law doing?"

"I'm your _only_ sister-in-law," I retorted, rolling my eyes good-naturedly even though immense delight pulled my lips up into a smile. He grabbed the duffle bag out of my hands and dropped it carelessly onto the floor by his feet before pulling me into a hug. I let my arms wrap around him tightly for a moment, so ecstatic to see him again, before we both pulled away. Looking at him up and down, I teased, "We're not even related yet. From what I know, you and Lydia _still _haven't started planning for your wedding."

Urase Gin, twenty-eight years old and Lydia's fiancé of three years, merely shrugged his shoulders with a smile and said, "There's no rush in getting married. We both know we're going to spend the rest of our lives with each other anyway. It's not like we need to have a wedding ceremony for that to be a fact."

The grin on my face was bright as I asked him playfully, "Remind me how someone like _you_ fell head over heels in love with someone like _Lydia?_"

"Don't get your facts mixed up, Ivy." Gin rolled his eyes, his tone light and teasing. "Your older sister's the one who fell madly in love with me first. It's part of my charm, I must admit."

I eyed him, my lips still pulled upwards. "Did you get more arrogant in the past few months?"

"It's not arrogance. It's _confidence_," he corrected me, but he laughed. He moved out of the doorway, a gesture that invited me inside. He picked up the duffle bag off the floor and waited until I entered before following in after me.

"Right," I agreed, the unconvinced tone very clear in my voice. Seeing that his belongings weren't in the kitchen, dining room, or living room, I asked, "Did you already pick out a room?"

"Well, I wasn't going to wait until you got here and stole the best one," he defended innocently, his straight rows of teeth flashing when I looked at him over my shoulder.

I laughed, shaking my head as I moved toward one of the hallways of the cabin. I loved being in log cabins—I wasn't sure why, but I just did. I loved the way it looked so homey and so cozy, the simplistic detailed beauty of the furniture and walls that weren't covered with stucco or plaster. I liked how the banister wasn't completely polished and straight, but had slight bumps in it. I loved how it was comfortable and luxurious, but not in a city-like way.

Ever since I was ten, I had been going to these training camps, so I had gotten quite familiar with everything. I knew exactly which room I wanted out of the six that were provided for the leaders of the camp, and I stopped in front of the chocolate-coloured door that was in the middle of two others. I pushed it open after grasping the handle and twisting, smiling when I entered the room.

There wasn't anything special about it. There was a single bed pushed into one corner, a desk and chair in the other. A drawer was placed next to the door that led to the connected bathroom, and there was a vanity table right next to the desk. Most rooms for leaders were like this—the rooms for participants usually had bunk beds and a desk or two with connecting washrooms—but it didn't really matter to me. This room wasn't all that special in terms of what was in it, but Satoshi had been a supervisor for the training camps for the previous five years. He would always stay in this room, and he told me stories about what he saw at night out through the window—the stars, the small animals that would lurk around at night, the way snow glittered under the moonlight. He said it was beautiful, and I wanted to be able to see what he saw.

Wheeling my suitcase to sit against the foot of the bed, I turned back to Gin, who tossed me the duffle bag. I caught it easily and then placed it onto the mattress before smiling at him. "You didn't even take the nicest room."

He raised his eyebrows at me almost challengingly. "And you'd know this how?"

I lifted one of my shoulders in a slight shrug, my hands coming up to clasp behind my back. "You're not the type." Prancing toward him, I urged, "C'mon, let's get everything set up. There's so much to do!"

Gin shook his head as he watched me, clearly not as enthusiastic as I was. "Are you really that excited? We're only setting up!"

"I know, but still!" I exclaimed, rushing through the hallways and out the cabin door again. I whirled around to face him, my hands held out at my sides. Beaming up at him as he stood leaning against the doorframe, I said, "It's going to be two weeks of hard work and fun. I'm pretty excited now that I'm actually back here."

His eyebrows rose upwards, and he blinked at me. He let out a low hum, a contemplative expression on his face now. Eventually, he broke out into a smile. "It'll be fun picking on the kids."

I had absolutely no idea what was in store, _especially_ when it came to the young teenagers.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

SEE! _SEE! _I promised you guys Kenta, and ta-daaa! He was in the chapter. I hope that you guys are happy! I honestly had a ton of fun writing every single part of this chapter. From the scene with Kenta, to Ivy's frustration towards Zero and Yuuki's relationship, to her interacting with Aidou, and finally introducing Gin to you guys! It was all really enjoyable to write!

I don't think there's much to say about this chapter! I mean, I DID say there was going to be a ZeroxIvy moment, and there _was_. It just... you know. Wasn't a cute and fluffy one. HAHA... ha...? OTL.

And _GIN. _Ohmy. To be honesty, I really love Gin. I mean, I love all of my OCs and all, but mmnargh. Gin. We'll be seeing lots of him in this sort of "monitors" arc. HOHOHO. I hope you guys like him, too! (x

I apologize for any spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and OOCness that might have occurred within the chapter!

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**xXMizukiXx, Fangirling Duck, Ficchii, Juliedoo, XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX, Tokine8696, Demonic Angel 7, thecoldforest, Anemos, scarsneverheal, luvJesusInHeavn, Jade Starlight, and snowpoppy**

Thank you guys SO much for your lovely reviews! I appreciate it so much, you have no idea!

And also, thank you to those of you who favourited or alerted or maybe even both! (x

You guys know what's next. And dear god, it's probably going to be super long and make people's eyes bleed, BUT I WILL TRY TO SHORTEN THEN. SORT OF. MAYBE.

OKAY, RESPONSES, GO!

To **xXMizukiXx**;

It's great that you had a wonderful birthday and holidays! I'm glad to hear it! (x -throws some more confetti around-  
>It's already February, I can't even believe it. VALENTINE'S DAY IS COMING UP. Ohmy. xD<br>I would consider that rather fun! I mean, I didn't do anything when the clock struck 12 except get spammed from friends and then spam them back. HAHA.  
>ARGH, I KNOW. I hate Sara. Everything about her angers me. LOL. Ivy's a passive-aggressive kind of person, and in all honesty, I dislike those types in real life. It can get so irritating. HAHA. But it's what makes Ivy, Ivy. And I adore her despite it. -DIES-<br>I can't imagine Kaname getting hostile with Ivy! And it's not because she's someone special to him or anything; it's just that Ivy fascinates him in a way. Like, she doesn't exactly piss him off, so he doesn't get angry, but she's not mindless enough for him to like her, either. I don't even know. LOL.  
>Baking is fun! I just hate cleaning up afterwards. LOL. You'll be surprised at Ivy's baking skills! I'd say that Satoshi's the one with the 11 out of ten on the scale. I'm sure that your baking isn't that bad, either. HAHA.<br>And thank you! I try. I think I've gotten so used to writing about Shiki due to Shitsuren that it all just comes out naturally now. (x  
>I KNOWWWW. Like... Kaname's such an asshole for everything he's done, but he's so goddamn INTERESTING as a character, I find it so hard not to find him compelling in a way. It's just... ARGH. xD As for what happens with Kaname and Ivy's relationship... Well... You'll have to stick around to find out. (;<br>I REALLY LIKED THAT PART TOO. I probably shouldn't be saying anything as the author, but man. I just kind of died while I wrote it. It's definitely one of the most memorable moments I've written so far, at least for me.  
>I LOVE your reviews! I adore hearing your thoughts because you always seem to make me smile, so~<br>Thank you so much for always supporting me and encouraging me, xXMizukiXx! I appreciate it so much, and I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! ;D

To** Fangirling Duck**;

WHY HELLO! I'm glad to know that your vacation in Africa was awesome, by the way! And welcome back! HAHA.  
>Ohmy. My parents are like that ALL THE TIME. And horror anime? Man, I can't handle horror. At all. Not even mild horror. I get nightmares for months. LOL.<br>ASDFGHJKL. Ivy versus Sara. Who do you think would win if they fought? I mean, Sara seems pretty damn scary... xD  
>I don't know how I feel about Maria! I honestly don't. I'm so torn. But that chapter before she intervenes with Zero and Sara? When she's asking Yuuki if she can have Zero? DUDE. I say THAT takes guts. I was so stunned, I don't even. I have to give her props for that.<br>Okay... Confession time. The reason Ivy's real name is Kaori is just 'cause I like the name. LOL. -SHOTSHOTSHOT- I MEAN. I KNOW, I KNOW. There should be some kinda special reason behind her name, but there isn't. I just... I just simply like it. OTL. HOW HORRIBLE AM I FOR THIS? LOOL. But dear lord, horrors. No. Nooooo. -winces- At least she's hardly ever referred to as "Kaori" right? xD  
>I put Kenta into the chapter! YAYYYY! I'm safe. -beams-<br>And I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN. Too many mixed feelings about Kaname. I still hate Yuuki the most, though. I don't think I've ever hated any character as much as I hate Yuuki. OTL.  
>THE NEW CHAPTER IS OUT. DEAR LORD, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT?<br>Thank you for always sharing your thoughts with me! I honestly love hearing from you because you make me laugh outright like an idiot and my parents wonder if anything's wrong with me. But I adore you. So thank you! And I hope that you liked this chapter! (x

To **Juliedoo**;

Ivy's so passive-aggressive. LMAO. It's just her style. I, personally, don't like passive-aggressive people in real life all that much because I can get so confused and frustrated, but Ivy's just... Ivy.  
>I must agree with you on Kaname! He's done so much crap to Zero and all, but I can't help but find him so intriguing. His character seems to have so many levels and I feel like everyone's love for Zero just kinda shoves him out of the picture without even considering Kaname, y'know what I mean? Not that I don't hate Kaname for being an ass, but I can't help but find him charismatic in a way. I mean, I'm not flipping tables whenever he's shown in the manga, like I am with Yuuki. HAHA... ha...? xD<br>OHMYGOODNESS. I KNOW WHAT YOU MEANNNNNNNN! It's like OCs can NEVER be nice, or else they're automatically labeled as a Mary-Sue. I JUST. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHERE THAT COMES FROM. It's like everyone they know is evil and mean and if they meet a nice person, that person's GOT to be some flawless, perfect human being. W-What? Most people I know are pretty damn nice. Argh, I love you. LOL. I love you for understanding my feelings and for your hilarious comment on emo princesses and for loving Ivy. I'm so happy that you adore her!  
>There was a ZeroxIvy scene in this chapter, but it wasn't... a fluffy one, I guess. LOL. STILL. I'm sorry it wasn't super cute or anything, though. OTL.<br>Thank you so much for your lovely thoughts! I'm so happy to hear from you~ And I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia! (x

To **XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX**;

Aw man, I'm broke too. LOL.  
>And REALLY? I guess I can understand where you're coming from. It's... Kaname's interesting to me. HAHA. YOU FOUND THEM AWKWARD? Ivy and Kaname? REALLY? Okay, actually... I can see that, too. xDDD<br>Kenta's in this chapter! YAYYY! -throws confetti and streamers around- I hope you enjoyed his little part!  
>For me... Well, I adore Shiki. Hate Sara. Want Yuuki to get hit by a bus and live a lonely life. I actually LIKE Kaname, and I like Aidou and most of the Night Class, too. For Maria, I need to agree with you. I'm so undecided about her. I mean, I actually hate how she cares about Zero because he resembles Ichiru, and I don't like the aura her character gives off, but that scene with Yuuki. MAN. That took so much guts, I swear. And I need to give her props for pissing Yuuki off like that, because I want Yuuki to suffer, BUT YOU KNOW. -whistles-<br>LOL. KENTA WITH CAT EARS? I don't even know if I can come up with a situation when they would EVER be able to do that! HAHA. But I'll keep your suggestion in mind. And I better get fifty percent of the profit. (;  
>Aidou was in this chapter! YAY! I love writing about him because he's so funny to write about. LOL. His interactions with everyone is lovely! (x<br>My holidays were fine, thanks for asking! School is kicking my ass, but that's nothing new. XD  
>Thank you for sharing your hilarious thoughts with me! I appreciate it tons, and your support, too! I hope that you liked this latest chapter! ;D<p>

To **Tokine8696**;

;OOO! Well, I'd absolutely love to hear from you every chapter! You're wonderful and amazing and I love hearing your thoughts! (x  
>Your praises will continue to flatter me and make my ego inflate. -DIES- But thank you! I'm feeling all fuzzy on the inside. HAHA.<br>Aw man, I'm dying every time I needa write about them. -sigh- I'm surprised at how I'm not going insane, too. I think a large part of it is because I know it'll lead to a greater good. IT'LL LEAD TO ZERO AND IVY. -SOBS- SO I MUST ENDURE.  
>You're welcome! I love how you asked a question and wanted to know more about him! HAHA.<br>I feel like not a lot of people like Kaname, but I find him so interesting! Maybe it's just me. I mean, it doesn't excuse the fact that he's an asshole or anything most of the time, but nonetheless. xD He and Ivy... Hmm. I don't know what to say about them. LOL.  
>The ZeroxIvy moment wasn't exactly happy and full of sunshine, but I hope that you liked it anyways!<br>Thank you for encouraging me and supporting me! I appreciate it a ton, and I hope to hear from you again! I also hope that you enjoyed the latest update! ;D

To **Anemos**;

With this latest chapter, you know why Gin and Ivy get along so well! HAHA. But aside from the fact that he's Lydia's fiance and Ivy's future brother-in-law, the two of them have really compatible personalities, or so I like to think. (x  
>Emi's really not as complicated as Trance, but I think that's to be expected. I don't reckon that she'll be showing up all that much, or she won't be focused on. The next few chapters are really just going to be based around Ivy and her interactions with the trainees, I think. And about her and EX5, which means more Nao. (:<br>That's an interesting thing to say about Trance! I'd have to both agree and disagree with that statement, and the reason for that will be revealed later. Much, much later. Whether Trance eases up or not by the end of Heterochromia is something you'll have to wait to find out! We'll definitely be seeing more of him from this point on.  
>Black raspberry for Kaname? What makes you say that? xD I'd have to agree with Yuuki and Zero! Yuuki definitely seems like strawberry to me, and I'm quite torn about blueberry or vanilla or Zero. I definitely think he'd be either of those, though! (x<br>About Ivy... Hmm. I feel like I shouldn't say too much on this topic. HAHA. BUT I think I'd say that Ivy's not really affected by physical pain... unless it's under certain circumstances. USUALLY, she's not really scared of getting hurt physically because she's been through a lot. Emotionally, though... Ivy's terrified of getting hurt that way, because she's also been through so much emotionally. Her emotional state is incredibly unsteady, she just hides it well. The upcoming chapters will undoubtedly expand on that. (x  
>The Silent Room. Man, you have no idea... I'm bursting to reveal everything. OTL.<br>Thank you! Sara doesn't like Ivy and the feeling is totally mutual. If I were in Ivy's shoes, I think I would tried to punch Sara in the eye. Ivy tries to be as frivolous as she can, simply because being serious dampens her mood a lot. xD  
>Kaname's... Well, he doesn't hate Ivy. It's not really anything special, though. Ivy knows that. It's just that she doesn't really do anything that pisses him off like Zero did. Like, ninety percent of the time, Kaname got angry at Zero because of something involving Yuuki, and well, Ivy tries to avoid interacting with Yuuki as much as possible. She doesn't really interfere with the Kurans' lives if she can help it, so she's given him no reason to hate her, y'know what I mean? That being said, she's never given him a reason to LIKE her, either.<br>Nope! The training camp will last a span of two full weeks, and after two weeks, it'll be winter vacation. HAHA. So much to plannnn.  
>Thank you for your compliment! I'm honestly so touched and grateful that you'd see it so highly. Ivy definitely won't be able to hold it in forever. When and how she snaps... I think that rather than simply having a single moment, she deteriorates slowly throughout the entire story.<br>I hope you enjoyed the part with Kenta in it! I loved writing about him. HAHA.  
>I wonder if your views on Kaname have changed with the recent chapter? ;O I'd love to hear what you think of him now!<br>And nono, it's totally fine! I love long reviews because it means you're taking the time to share your thoughts with me, which I love and adore. I'm very thankful that you'd even take the time to write me a long one!  
>So thank you for always being so supportive, Anemos! I feel like I need to apologize for my clumped walls of text. I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia! (x<p>

To **luvJesusInHeavn**;

HAHA, it's fine! I'm just happy that you're still reading my work! (x  
>Yeah, most ZeroxOC fanfics probably have the OC hating Kaname because of all the crap he's done to Zero. I just... I can't see Ivy or Kaname totally loathing each other, do you know what I mean? It just doesn't compute in my mind. xD Kaname and Ivy actually never really interacted until that chapter! They try not to interact. LOL.<br>I don't think that crying is a bad thing! At least you're able to express how you really feel, right? I think that it can get really frustrating or suffocating when you want to cry but you just can't. ;_;  
>LMAO. ShikixIvy? Really? ;O! I can see it. But then again, I can see Ivy with almost everyone because I love her and I feel like she works so well with everyone. -SHOT- I still love her the most with Zero, though. Of course. HAHA.<br>Thank you for your support all the time! I appreciate it a ton! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter, luvJesusInHeavn! (x

To **Jade Starlight**;

No worries! I'm glad to know that you haven't abandoned the story, though! HAHA.  
>And thank you for your compliment! I honestly hope you can say that within the next few chapters because an onslaught of OCs will be slapping you in the face. Seriously. LOL.<br>A lot of answers will be coming up! I think that, starting from this arc, a lot of answers will be presented, but so will more questions. I hope that you look forward to it! (x  
>Thank you for your support and encouragement! I hope that you enjoyed the latest update! (x<p>

To **snowpoppy**;

Aww, thank you! I'm glad that you like it so much! ( If you're caught up. HAHA. )  
>The Day Class student is Kenta, but I'm sure you've figured it out already! Believe me, I have ZeroxIvy feels every day. LMAO.<br>Thank your for your praises! You're being too nice. I'm glad that you think that the pacing and characters are decent! (x I try not to rush anything and to keep all characters in character!  
>How Kenta feels about Ivy... -clears throat- WELL... xD You'll have to see! If you haven't picked it up already. -SHOT-<br>Thank you for reviewww! I hope that you liked the latest chapter! (x

END OF RESPONSES.

Do you guys like how I said I'd try to keep it short, but then I ended up writing a bajillion paragraphs? -SLAPPED-

My attempt at not getting off track and keeping things simple just... clearly didn't work. OTL.

BUT ANYWAYS.

Thank you to those of you who answered the previous question! I was so interested in hearing your responses! (x

**QUESTION: Who do you think would make the most difficult love rival for Zero ( in this fanfic, so it's going to be getting Ivy's heart ), whether it be one of my OCs or an original VK character and why? ( He doesn't ACTUALLY have to show any interest in Ivy, but just out of everyone, who do you think would present the biggest challenge? )  
><strong>

I AM SO CURIOUS, I AM SO CURIOUS, I AM SO CURIOUSSSSS! Please share your thoughts with me on this! I'd love to hear what you guys have to say about this! (x

Kenta's in this chapter, just like I promised! YAY! And I got Aidou in here! YAY! And you guys met Gin! YAY! The ZeroxIvy moment wasn't exactly a romantic fluffy one, but I think that it's a really important kind of moment between them. SO YAY!

I'm HOPING to update on Valentine's Day ( which is coming up soon, and I don't know is this deserves a "YAY" or not ) since it's actually Kenta's birthday on the fourteenth of February. YES, HE'S A VALENTINE'S BABY. (x

So yes, I'm hoping to update then! I hope to see you guys on the fourteenth! ;D

Please feel free to drop me a review to share with me your thoughts on anything that happened in the chapter or to answer my question of the chapter! I'd love to hear your thoughts and I don't bite! ;D

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	20. When Blood Runs Shallow

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters. All rights belong solely to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N:**

Where I live, it's, like, 9 PM as I'm editing and writing this note. I'm just hoping I get it up in time. LOL. I'm sorry that it's so late! I didn't expect school and volunteering and all to last so long, and when I got back it was just ASDFGGJKL.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, GUYS! Or, for those of you who are single like I am...

HAPPY SINGLES' AWARENESS DAY! -beams- -throws confetti around-

I hope that whether you guys are single or in a relationship, you guys had an awesome day! And if it wasn't awesome, I hope it wasn't that bad. HAHA. My day went on like any other, so it was neutral! (:

Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENTA! -throws some more confetti and streamers- -beams- Yes, Kenta's a Valentine's baby! YAYYY. (:

There's really not much else to say except for; ASDFNAOWEBNAWPEB, I hope I update this on time! HAHA.

OKAY, I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY! (x

OH, WAIT. FIRST.

**WARNING: ONSLAUGHT OF OCS. I HOPE YOUR BRAIN WILL BE OKAY.**

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER TWENTY;**

_"When Blood Runs Shallow"_

* * *

><p><strong>TRAINING CAMP—DAY ONE<strong>

Nervousness and excitement shot through me when I came back into the cabin after checking the perimeters one last time and found myself staring at thirty teenagers who had arrived, sitting in the living room chattering amongst themselves. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach and brushed at my sides, making me want to shudder or flinch, but in a good way. Sort of.

The five instructors were seated at the front of the room, talking quietly between them as well. I made sure to hang my coat up and take my shoes off before entering the cabin further, and as I moved toward the living room, Gin turned his head and caught my eye.

He smiled at me brightly and waved me over quickly with a hand, causing my lips to pull upwards. I passed the sea of kids ranging from ten to fourteen, bits and pieces of their conversations sliding into my ears. Conversation seemed to get more hushed or stop completely as I passed, stopped when they realized who I was. It only lasted briefly before the whispers started up again, but this time, they surrounded me.

I tried to ignore their wary looks or hostile murmurs.

"Sorry I'm late," I said as I approached the group, my eyes flitting between everyone. Zero glanced at me, as did Trance, but they both looked away quickly as if I would burn them. Nao merely gave me an irritated look, as did Nakaoka Emi. I tried not to feel upset, endeavouring to push away the hurt that bloomed in my chest at Trance's distance and the tightening of my throat when I saw Zero again—I felt like I had been a tyrant to him the last time we had spoken.

Gin, however, tugged on a stand of my hair and grinned. "I was just about to go look for you, slow-poke. How can we start the show without you?"

Eyeing his attire and how he was so relaxed, I raised my eyebrows at him and teased, "You don't _look_ like you're about to rush out and search for me in concern."

"Oops." He stuck his tongue out and winked at me, causing me to laugh. The tall, obsidian-haired hunter then stood up swiftly from where he sat, stretching his arms high above his head and twisting his torso around. "We should get started. It's practically ten right now, and they've got to wake up early tomorrow, too."

Looking just as beautiful and regal as she always did, Emi ran a hand through her light brown, shoulder-length hair and stood up from her seat, back straight and chin held high. Her dark, stormy eyes looked at me pointedly as she said, "Well, if _someone_ had been here half an hour ago, they would already be settled in their rooms."

I had to bite down a sigh. It had been wishful thinking on my part that, after not having seen the beauty for over half a year, her resentment against me would have disappeared or lessened. Clearly, she still didn't like me. "Sorry. I thought I saw something, so I ended up losing track of time."

"How like you," she remarked evenly. Her tone made it evident that she didn't see it as a good thing.

"I'd like to get this over with any time within the next five years if possible," Nao's sarcastic, clipped voice sounded as he stood up. Even though Zero was pretty tall, Nao still towered over him by over nearly half a foot. He was like a thin, stiff giant.

Gin, being the eldest out of all of us, waited for Zero and Trance's silent approvals before nodding his head and clapping his hands loudly. "Okay, guys! We're going to start, so pipe down!" It only took, at most, five seconds before the teenagers became deathly silent. I knew that Gin was an extremely respected hunter, so it was no wonder that they all listened to him so well, but I also knew that his reputation wasn't the absolute best.

After all, he was associated with an EX5 member's immediate family. It was horrible how much my status—and, consequently, Lydia's, Satoshi's, Trance's, and Arashi's—influenced the people who stuck by us. Who were all _still_ beside us.

My hands clenched into fists, and I blinked my eyes, struggling to break myself out of my own thoughts. I didn't want to think about such things. If Gin wasn't so hung up over it, why was I? Yet the answer was so simple, it almost made me smile in triumph.

It was because, even though it affected those around me, _I_ was the cause, the fault.

And that changed everything.

A sharp nudge to my side had me crashing down to earth, and I stared in confusion at Gin, who was urging me with his eyes. When I glanced back to the mob of children, who once again began to whisper, I immediately caught on.

"Oh!" It left as a surprised noise, and I hastily bowed. "I'm Tashiro Kaori, it's nice to meet you all! Please call me Ivy. I hope that you'll take care of me." When I straightened up, I offered an apologetic smile and a sheepish wave.

Unlike me, Nao didn't even bother to try and ease their nerves. His voice was just as curt as always, although there was a harsh edge this time as he spoke. It made me want to jab him in the stomach, an urge that I fought hard against. "Jojima Nao."

Quiet, but firm and unwavering, Trance's tenor voice rang out next. He sounded like he wasn't even the least bit nervous. It wasn't a particularly friendly or welcoming tone, but he didn't sound angry or aggravated, either. He kept his voice controlled and neutral as he introduced, "Tashiro Trance."

I watched him carefully, my eyes taking in the way his emerald and topaz eyes, so similar to my own, fluttered over the crowd quickly once, twice, three times, like he wanted to reconfirm he could recall their names. Albeit there were some males and females that were fourteen like Trance was, I wasn't sure if he _knew_ them. After all, he had always been ahead of everyone else.

He looked so calm, so composed, so unfazed. A part of me felt so proud of him as he held his head high, his posture straight yet not rigid. He seemed to fit in well with us, although he was much younger. Then again, I'd always known that Trance was meant to be a leader.

"Kiriyuu Zero." Neutral, toneless, nonchalant. It held no hints of aggression or the sound of a scowl. I could practically _hear_ the silver-haired hunter trying to keep it out of his voice. It probably had nothing to do with the kids—I was sure that he, too, was reminded of all the things I had thrown at him a few days ago. Needless to say, I understood if he was angry.

A part of me doubted that he was truly mad, though. It was _Zero_.

"I'm Nakaoka Emi," came the last name. What embroidered her tone wasn't exactly _arrogance_, but it was manifest that she viewed herself as someone in a more superior position than the teens—she had a firm way of saying it, yet it still didn't come off as unfriendly, antagonistic, or haughty.

"I see a lot of familiar faces," Gin started lightly, his smile wide and teasing as his eyes scanned the faces. "_Why_ the hell did you guys decide to come back?" He paused as laughter and giggles touched their faces before continuing, "I'll have you guys know that this year is going to be tougher than last year."

A collective groan could be heard, which made me want to smile. The corners of my lips twitched as I forced myself to keep a casual expression. From the back of the room, I swore that I could hear someone let out a surprised, horrified squeak.

"For some of you guys, it's going to be your first time at training camp," Gin sympathized. "There are a few rules that you'll have to abide by, but they're your standard, commonsense rules. So the first rule is an obvious one—anyone want to guess?"

Before anyone else could even blink, a hand was raised up lazily into the air. It was connected to a boy with short, light brown hair and dark eyes. My mind immediately put a face with a name, as we had all received profiles of the young hunters-in-training beforehand.

Inamura Daiki. Going on what I had heard from Gin, who had been an instructor last year and Daiki had also attended, the young boy was apparently a mischievous one. Reckless, bold, impulsive and hotheaded—but he was genuine and honest with everyone. Looking at him now, I didn't quite see any of the prankster behaviour in him. In fact, he looked kind of tense, his features setting themselves into cement and waiting to dry. It confused me for a moment, but as my eyes swept over the crowd, I realized that almost everyone was like that, too.

"Always be respectful to one another." Even though it was supposed to be a question, it came out as a statement.

Gin snapped his fingers, the sound reverberating loudly through the full room. He pointed at Daiki and grinned, "_Correct_, young lad! The first and one of the most important rules—I mean, all rules are important, but you guys get my drift—is to always, _always_ respect one another. This means no degrading comments and insults. There will be no invasions of personal space—if someone tells you you're too close, then you're too close. No shoving or pushing unless you're sparring. You're all going to treat each other as equals regardless of age, gender, competence, ethnicity, nationality, whatever. I don't care what the situation is. If I catch _anyone_ treating another person with disrespect, I _will_ draw the line."

"Question," Daiki said.

"We'll answer questions at the end," Gin told him before the trainee could say anything. There seemed to be something odd about Gin's voice, something strange about the way his eyes darkened. It made me feel uneasy and baffled. It was like he knew something and was keeping it from the rest of us—or was it just me?

"But—"

"The second rule," Gin started, giving Daiki a look that made the younger boy bristle for a moment before calming, "is to always listen to the instructors. If they're telling you to duck, then you _duck_. If they're telling you to run five miles, you're going to run five miles. If they say there's no break, well, too bad. You guys won't be getting a break. And I know that some of you guys will say that's going to collide with the first rule—they should respect your desire to have a break or whatever, but this is a training camp. Trust me. They know what they're doing. The third rule is to not leave the boundaries of the camp unless you have an instructor with you or unless you have an okay from one of them. You can tell where the boundary line is because we've tied enormous, bright yellow and orange clothes to tree trunks at fifteen meter intervals. They're also glow-in-the-dark, so you guys can't possible ever miss them. It's important that you follow this rule, because outside of the camp, we don't know what's out there. True, we've done checks, but who really knows when something else enters the area? Keep in mind that the radius of the camp is, from this cabin, two and a half kilometers.

"Fourth rule: unless you're doing skill training, your weapons should _not_ be out." Gin raised his eyebrows and rolled his eyes at the surprised look from some of the students. "Oh, don't be so surprised. It's standard if you're this age that, even if you're not a vampire hunter yet, you have a small dagger or something that your parents want you to keep just in case some vampire pounces on you unexpectedly. I'm sure that at least five of you thought you were so secretive and so special that your mom or dad gave you a weapon, but sorry to burst your bubble, you're not. And we're not going to confiscate those weapons from you—but unless your life is in danger, keep those things tucked away. This isn't limited to anti-vampire weapons, though. You're going to be working with a variety of normal weapons here at the camp, and you shouldn't be swinging something around wildly unless you're asked to.

"Curfew will be the fifth rule. You guys aren't supposed to be out of the cabin any later than ten-thirty. It doesn't matter to us when you sleep, but you need to have your asses inside by that time. I don't suggest not sleeping or sleeping late, though." Gin grinned brightly and said, "We're going to work you guys so hard, unless you get some rest, you can be sure you won't make it through the next two weeks. The first floor of the cabin is the common floor except for the rooms along the hallway to your immediate right once you walk in—that's where the leaders and instructors will be resting, so no entering. The second floor will be for girls, and third for guys. To be honest, I don't really care if you like hanging out in each other's rooms, but no funny business, okay? _Please. _For my sake, don't make me go through seeing inappropriate sights because I will have to use bleach to try and get rid of the images.

"Those are the basics, I think," Gin mused aloud, tapping his temple for a moment. "The rest are written in the pamphlets you guys have in front of you. But aside from that, there's a sixth rule not written in there."

Perplexed murmurs flooded the room softly, and all of us instructors exchanged glances. We had all been to camp before, and a lot of the time, it was pretty similar. Yet at the same time, with different leaders and different perspectives, many things also changed from year to year. The one thing that had absolutely stayed the same throughout the decades, however, was the sixth and unwritten rule.

"Well, what is it?" A girl finally burst out. Her gold, curly hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. Her bright lime eyes were wide and curious, though a hint of impatience was in them. I blinked as her name clicked in my mind; Sawyer Lettie, twelve years old.

Laughing, Gin said, "We'll tell you guys at the end what the sixth rule is. Ivy needs to tell you guys how the camp works." He looked down at me then, encouraging me to speak. It wasn't as if I was nervous or anything since I had no problems with public speaking, but I felt like it would be more appropriate to let someone else talk. After all, I had only been to camp thrice, while others usually went four or five times.

But then I thought back to why they decided I'd speak in the first place, and I realized that maybe it was a better idea. Nao, Trance, and Zero didn't exactly make camp sound exciting, and Emi hated kids. She loathed people under the age of fifteen, so why she decided to take on this camp thing, I had no idea.

"So there are thirty of you guys here this year, and there are six leaders. You'll all be divided into groups of five, and each group will have a leader. It sucks, but the groups have already been decided at random. We honestly just put all your names in a hat and we each drew out five slips. The reason we did this is because being with your best friend all the time can be distracting, or you end up relying on them too much. This randomization will help you build communication with strangers—there will be times when you're a hunter that you need to be able to work instantaneously with someone you've never met at all in your lifetime. We'll be announcing the groups later.

"There are six different areas that we're going to be working on during these two weeks," I notified them, eyes scanning the crowd. Once again, that rigid countenance seemed to dwell on their features. It bothered me. The air seemed heavier than it did before, just a few minutes ago. Refusing to frown and get sidetracked, I held up a corresponding finger to each field of training I said. "The first kind of preparation we're going to make you go through is endurance. This will include all different kinds of exercising—like running long distances, weight-lifting, sit-ups, all that fun stuff.

"The second area we'll be helping you with is your skills with the weapon you'll most likely receive once you become a hunter. Once you're thirteen or fourteen, you generally already know what kind of weapon is your affinity, but sometimes you don't. We can help you with that. During this station, you'll be working with that weapon you want. All leaders this year use something different, so the chances are that at least one of us are pro at it. The third area is something completely opposite—rather than working with the weapon you want or are most likely to receive after becoming a hunter, you're going to train with weapons that you _don't _like, or don't think you're good at. The reason for this is because even though you'll have your own weapon, you never know what might happen. Maybe, if you're a gunner, you'll run out of bullets and what will happen then? You'll need to use something else if you want to survive. You won't always be able to use the weapon you're used to—once you're a hunter, you'll be forced to pick a secondary weapon to master, or maybe even two.

"The fourth is a sparring station, where you'll be putting your skills and reflexes to the test. Of course, you're not going to actually try and harm one another. In previous years, you had to pin the person down, or fake a strike when the person's open and unable to block it. How the sparring works will depend on the leader.

"Lastly, the fifth and sixth aspects aren't physical things. One area that we're going to be helping you guys with is your analysis, strategy, and communication. It's pretty straightforward, and it'll basically be an engaging discussion. The last station is an educational thing—you'll be in the dining hall or living room, and you'll have the history of hunters and vampires nailed into you. You'll be preparing for the written portion of the exam, which will cover history, etiquette, current events, survival necessities, and things like that." I took a deep breath after I finished, and smiled.

Zero spoke next, picking up from where I left off without a hitch. I automatically turned my head to look at him, to pay attention to him when he spoke. "Every morning after breakfast, each group will report to their leader and whatever field of study they're in charge of is what you'll be starting the day doing. You'll be rotating to a different station after two hours—your leader doesn't follow you. You'll be able to work with all of us every day, though what we do each day will be different."

"Breakfast is from six to six-thirty AM," Trance informed them. My eyes lingered on the silver-haired hunter for a little longer before they fell to my younger brother, who stared out at the group of teens just like him. "Lunch is from twelve to twelve forty-five, and dinner is from seven 'til eight. You won't be finished all six stations until ten PM. For thirty minutes after, you're free to stay out, but then you'll all have to get back inside."

Upon hearing the loud, horrified and dreading groans from the kids, Gin grinned widely and said enthusiastically, "I told you that we'd work you guys super hard this year!"

"We'll announce who's in whose group now," Nao started stiffly. "However, don't move from your seats. We're informing you to merely sate your curiosity." He paused for a moment, his ruby eyes meeting the eyes of those who dared to look at him head-on. Pushing his spectacles up further along the bridge of his nose, he began to list out five names. Even if I didn't know each and every single of them through memorization of written profiles, the looks on their faces gave them away in a heartbeat.

Emi called out her names afterward, then Zero. Trance went after, and then Gin. We didn't really have a set order on who was supposed to go—it was just if nobody else said anything, then you went. Surprisingly, it didn't get messy, but maybe that was because none of us really seemed to care too much.

When it got to me, my lips pulled upwards. "Shizuki Sora. Sawyer Lettie. Inamura Daiki. Hagino Hisako. Jakushi Mitsuru." I saw the way Lettie blinked her wide eyes, surprised. She didn't look upset, though. Daiki, on the other hand, looked completely incredulous. When my eyes met his, he immediately slanted his eyes in a glower. It was such a fierce look that I almost took a step back in surprise.  
><em><br>I had forgotten, _I realized, my eyes widening. It all made sense. The reason why most of them looked so tense, the way they all looked so alert and sharp. The odd way that Gin was acting, the way Nao or Zero or anyone else didn't seem to be as confused.

I had been the only who had forgotten.

For the majority of the last few days, I had been surrounded by people who didn't really care. At Cross Academy, Kaito, Yagari, Kaien, Zero—they knew, and maybe they cared, but it didn't change anything. Not really. Kenta didn't know what I was. I had Shiki, Rima, and Ichijou when I went to classes—I was able to talk with Aidou. I didn't really _fit in_, but I was able to get through my days without people distinctly changing their attitudes towards me because of who I was, of what I am.

I had completely forgotten that it wasn't like that with everyone. That some of these kids would have parents that loathed me, hated me for what I was. I didn't remember that I wasn't completely welcomed by all hunters, that even if their parents _didn't_ oppose me, they were brought up to believe that all vampires were evil. They were able to form their own opinions, but their thoughts would generally revolve around the laws and rules of hunters.

Cold washed over me for a moment, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. I stuffed them into the pocket of my jeans, trying to ignore the feelings that bubbled up inside my chest. I pushed away the feeling of my blood being icy, the ache. I struggled to maintain the smile on my face.

"Okay, now that we're done—"

"Does anyone have any questions?" I interrupted Gin. He tensed from beside me, but I didn't look at him. He had been hoping to skip over the questions, to stop them from voicing out anything that would potentially hurt my feelings. He had been trying to protect me, because he thought that I wouldn't be able to handle it. He knew that Nao and Zero wouldn't take it too personally, because Nao was like impenetrable stone and Zero had his walls sky-high. He knew that I was a bit easier to get to, a bit easier to break.

But even if he tried his best to prevent it from happening, I was sure that everyone knew that it was inevitable. It would be better to get it over with sooner rather than later.

Daiki didn't even wait a second before asking, his voice laced with anger, "Why you? Why are you my leader? Why are you _here_?"

I didn't bat an eyelash, even though his words hit deep somewhere. I muffled that feeling. "Well, I picked your name randomly out of the hat." I rocked back on my heels and said brightly, "And I'm here because I was asked to be!"

His hands clenched into fists so tight that his knuckles were white. His next words were spat out, the bite in them sharp and glacial. "You shouldn't have been! This is _ridiculous_. You, and you, and you—" he pointed to me, then Nao, then Zero as he said his words, "—are all goddamn vampires! The fact that you're here trying to teach us doesn't make sense. The fact that you're _hunters_ doesn't make sense. How are we supposed to feel safe here when you're here? How are we sure that you aren't just going to suck us dry at night, when we're sleeping?"

"We're weird," I told him lightly. "It doesn't happen often, but the reason we're still hunters is because our allegiance is with the Hunters Association. We might be vampires now, but we weren't born this way." I shrugged, and then pulled out my white tablet box out from the pocket of my jeans, holding it up for him to see. "And we have tablets. We won't do anything to you. There's a reason that we're still alive."

And then the fourteen-year-old boy said something that created dead silence in the room.

"But you shouldn't be. You should've been killed by hunters the moment you were bitten—it would've been so much better than _this_."

I froze, staring at him with my mind slated clean. It wasn't the fact that I was surprised he thought this way, or that I was so hurt and damaged by his comments that I was paralyzed. My heart definitely gave an agonized squeeze in my chest upon hearing his words, but that wasn't what knocked me speechless.

It was the fact that he was right.

It was all the memories that came with it.

Screams. Tears. Arguments. The bonds between so many hunters severed, the damages done to families that were the closest of friends. The pain, the ache, the sorrow. Bloodshed. So much blood.

In the back of my mind, I vaguely heard Gin and Emi. I heard loud voices, but I wasn't able to recognize the words. It was like a buzz in the back of my mind, like trying to understand what they were saying while I was underwater.

My heart pounded in my chest, roaring loudly in my ears. Fast, hard, frantic.  
><em><br>"Why are you alive?" he whispered, looking at me with wide eyes. Crazy eyes. Unfamiliar ones. "Why are you still alive? Why did you have to live? Why wouldn't you have just died that day? It would've been better. Things would be so different."_

Slamming my hands down on my ears and squeezing so tight that it hurt, I tried to block out the voice that I heard inside my mind. I shut my eyes tightly, but I saw his face painted on the back of my eyelids. My legs gave out underneath me, and I found myself sinking to the ground. "No," I whispered, horrified. "No, no, no. _Stop_."

But it couldn't stop, wouldn't stop. It haunted me like a guardian angel.  
><em><br>"We'd be happier if you died." Then there was screaming. Tears. Bloodshed. So much blood._

And then I felt cold walls, searing pain in my wrists and ankles. I saw darkness, not seeing anything at all. There was pain, there was ache, there was sorrow. Bloodshed. So much blood. I remembered them, remembered what they said.

"You're a monster. A fiend that shouldn't be allowed to be left alive. How do you go through your life, knowing all that you've done? How do you wake up in the mornings when you've ruined our lives?"

_Agonized screams. So many of them. Over and _over _again. It would never end. I remembered the hopelessness, the feeling of fighting so desperately for something but knowing that we couldn't triumph. I remembered how sometimes I wanted to give up, how sometimes I wanted to let it all end. Sometimes, I believed them. That they were right. That maybe—maybe I shouldn't be allowed to—_

Something cold touched my cheek lightly, making me jump. My immediate instinct was to flinch away, to throw my arms up to cover my head, but cool fingers wrapped around my wrist and a familiar voice said, "_Ivy_." He pulled on my arms, forcing them down. "Get a hold of yourself."

My eyes met his red ones, so calm and so composed. Just seeing him there, long white hair tied up into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, his spectacles, his pale skin and closed off expression made me want to cry.

Fast, shallow breathing. I was still shaking when I reached for him. "N-Nao, I-I—"

Without a word, he pulled me to him and gathered me up in his arms, tight and secure. I could feel his strong, steady heartbeat, his familiar scent surrounding me. My throat closed up at his gesture, my body still shaking though starting to calm. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his chest, trying hard not to let any tears fall. I would never understand how Nao was able to be so strong, to be so unfazed by things. I would never be able to understand how he was able to stop himself from breaking down when he heard something like that.

"You're stupidity at its best," Nao muttered, venom coating his voice although it was contradicted with the way he tightened his hold on me and lightly tapped his fingers against my back, a small gesture of comfort.

I laughed, but the sound wavered and cracked, and I blinked rapidly, staring at the fabric of his shirt. With my senses so heightened, I was so acutely aware of how Zero, Trance, Gin, and Emi were all still in the room. They were practically all across the space, but they were still there. I wondered if it was because Nao was worried I needed more comfort, or if he had demanded they get out but they refused to. I didn't know, but I didn't really care.

Nao didn't say anything for a long time. He merely continued his tapping, letting me stay in his arms and listen to his heartbeat and his steady breathing. Even after I had stopped trembling and had regulated my breathing, he still remained silent for a few more minutes.

Breaking the silence before he could, I whispered, "I'm sorry."

"You're troublesome," came his brief response. "What else?"

"Thank you."

And Nao didn't say anything, because he knew the five million different things that it meant.

* * *

><p><strong>TRAINING CAMP—DAY TWO<strong>

During breakfast in the morning, the kids kept shooting me odd looks. None of them came to speak with me, but that wasn't surprising. None of them spoke with any leader except for Gin, which didn't surprise me. Zero and Nao were vampires as well, and Emi let her expression morph into something grumpy whenever someone came near her, whether it be a camper or a leader. Trance eluded a black aura, intimidating everyone else.

I saw all the members of my group, though they all seemed to sit with their own cliques at different tables. Daiki glowered at me the entire time, his gaze burning holes into my skin. The overall atmosphere at the dining room was thick with tension and hostility.

It made me want to sigh. After I recovered from my breakdown, we ended up having a discussion about what happened. Well, I didn't tell them anything, but they didn't ask me for reasons. Gin had thought it would be better to switch Daiki with another person, but I had refused. There had been a small dispute about it, but I won in the end.

He was only fourteen. He didn't know how it was like out there on real missions, because after that incident five years ago, they didn't take any trainees out onto raids anymore, even for firsthand experience. Daiki didn't understand, growing up in a rather narrow-minded society of hunters. It was a very black and white environment, and it wasn't his fault.

I wanted to have him understand. I wanted to try and change how he perceived the world, to change how he felt about vampires. I was going to try my best and show him that it wasn't like everything the Hunters Association said was always going to be a hundred percent correct. I didn't want him to grow up and believe that every single vampire out there was going to murder him.  
><em><br>Zero. Nao. Al. Cheryl. Junko. Shiki. Rima. Ichijou. Aidou. Yuuki._

Sighing, Gin muttered under his breath, "It's time." Blinking in mild confusion at first until I saw the time, I watched as Gin stood up and announced, "Okay, clean up. Today's going to be a bit different. Before we start training, we're going to have a short, special sparring session. Due to this, your sessions will be cut down to an hour and a half. You don't need to get into our groups yet—once you're done eating and cleaning up, get your coats and we'll meet you outside."

Finishing the last bit of my apple, I picked up my tray. I reached for Nao's, but he stood up and left with it before I could help him take it. Rolling my eyes and smiling, I followed his lead, throwing away the trash and placing everything in the dishwasher before heading outside.

When everyone was gathered out in the cold, we all trekked for a while before entering the sparring area. It was a vast, wide expanse of vacant land in the middle of the forest. The tall trees created a boundary, but the ground had been cleared of any sharp rocks or fallen branches. We stopped around the edge of the wide, circular ring.

"Okay," Gin said, "This is the sparring area. You have one of these stations throughout the day with a leader, but there will be three times where it's a bit different. Today, the seventh day, and the last day, we'll have a special sparring event. Instead of being in groups of five and sparring amongst yourselves, we're going to have tag-team sparring. The catch is, though, it's two of _you _guys—" Gin pointed at the trainees—"against two of _us_." He gestured to us instructors.

Gasps were heard through the crowd.

"But that's not fair!" Someone in the back exclaimed. "There's no way that we'll be able to beat you guys!"

"That sounds exciting," I heard Lettie's voice say. I smiled upon hearing the genuine enthusiasm in her voice.

"We don't expect you to knock us out," Gin responded wryly. "Remember that unless you're a full-fledged hunter, _your_ kind of sparring doesn't allow directly causing harm on the other person. You're supposed to stop within at least a centimeter of contact, remember? But anyways—today there will be no weapons. It's going to be a pure hand-to-hand combat kind of sparring, if you can even call it that. Feel free to tackle each other and punch and stuff—you're allowed to make contact for that. Try not to throw a punch so hard you break someone's nose, 'kay? You guys know which places are inappropriate to hit. We're going to do one battle at a time—if you're not in the middle, then you're watching and patiently waiting for your turn.

"The leaders will have a large cloth tied to their arm, and you guys will get a piece of string attached to yours. The leaders' cloths are much wider and large, and we'll leave the ends long while your string is five hundred times thinner and tied so that there are no trailing ends. The point of this is to try and take off the cloth or string of the other team—for the leaders, they need to take off both of your strings, but you guys only need to take off one of theirs to win. Another thing is that the leaders will be tied together by another cloth. You can pick who you want on your team for today, and you get to choose which leader you want to challenge. Sounds fun, right?" Gin didn't wait for a response. "Who wants to—"

"I'll go." Daiki separated himself from the crowd, stepping up with his chin raised high. His hands were once again fisted, and his topaz eyes were so dark with negative emotions. "I'll take you on." He looked straight at me as he spoke. I wondered if he thought I would break again like I did before, wondered if he was challenging me because he thought I was incompetent.

I merely smiled at him slightly. "Okay."

Gin glanced between Daiki and I, concern plastering itself over his features. My eyes slanted over to meet his, and I smiled in reassurance. The twenty-eight-year-old hunter relaxed imperceptibly and handed me the cloth, giving Daiki his.

The white cloth was made of chiffon, making it easier for the trainees. We had debated between lighter clothes or heavier ones—lighter ones because they floated in the air longer, so they had a higher chance of grabbing the ends and pulling the tie loose, or heavier ones because they dragged and caused extra weight. We went with the chiffon because we didn't want to waste any cloths by dragging them along the floor. It was around ten centimeters wide and three-fourths of a meter long. I tied it around my right arm.

"I want to do this, too!" Lettie yelled, pushing her way through the crowd. Her eyes were sparkling as she pointed at Trance. "Can I challenge Trance-san?"

I glanced over at my younger brother, who didn't even bother looking at me. He stared at her for another moment before stepping to where the cloths were, grabbing one at random and beginning to tie it on. Lettie let out a delighted squeal and went to get hers, bouncing along the soles of her feet.

Nervousness tickled me. My heart hurt, too. How long had it been since I had been on the same team as Trance—_truly_ had to fight alongside him? It had been years upon years upon years. It felt like forever. From then until now, he had grown so much taller, towering over me. He grew colder, more reserved, more mature. He was more skilled and more experienced now.

So much more distant.

Silently, he came over with a longer length of cloth, this one much sturdier. It was nine meters long—after we tied it to our wrists, it would only be eight meters long. Eight meters was the maximum distance we could be away from one another.

I wondered how we would be able to do this—one of the reasons we did this was to force the campers to work together, but I felt like this was a challenge for me, too. How was I supposed to be able to communicate properly with Trance if he hated me? When our relationship was so broken?

"You have fifteen minutes to win," Gin informed everyone as Trance, Daiki, Lettie, and I faced one another, them against us, a few meters separating the two teams. "If nobody does, then it's considered a draw. Ready?"

Trance was so close that I could reach out and pull him into my arms. I had to resist so hard not to. Instead, I focused my gaze on the dark-haired boy in front of me and reminded myself that I had to concentrate.

"Set..." I could see Daiki and Lettie tensing, preparing to charge. I prepared myself, but I didn't stiffen up too much. From beside me, I could tell that Trance was the same.

"Go!"

And then Daiki came charging. I watched him carefully, taking in the way his body moved and his speed. I saw the tautness in his body as he prepared to swing, analyzed his momentum, thought of all the different places he could aim for. And just as his fist was about to collide with my stomach, I did a small side-step that put me just out of his way.

Surprised he had missed, he took a few seconds to gather himself. I could've easily pinned him down and taken his string off, but that would've been too easy. The point was to analyze, to allow them time to understand and predict. It was for _us_ to analyze them as well—this was a sort of evaluation for us to get to know their skills and weaknesses firsthand.

Pivoting on his feet, he lunged for me again. His left fist swung for my face, but I merely ducked, stepping back when he attempted to knock my feet out from under me. The look on his face was a mixture of irritation and loathing, and I merely blinked at him as he continued his onslaught of punches and kicks.

As I continued dodging Daiki's blows, I glanced over at Trance. He was just like me, being on the defensive rather than offensive. I wanted to smile, because we were so similar. We had barely moved from our original spots, our bodies separated by five meters.

"Why are you just dodging?" Daiki provoked as he attempted to tackle me to the floor. "Are you too scared to attack?"

"I'm not attacking because I don't need to attack yet," I replied simply. The chances of him understanding the hint I gave him was slim.

"_What_?" Furious—I _knew_ it—he only swung harder. I continued to dodge. It was a few minutes later when I realized, with a smile, that someone was coming at me from behind. I side-stepped out the way just as Lettie's hands were just about make contact with my back, and as she stumbled past me, I pushed her lightly so she crashed into Daiki.

She understood the concept of this.

Looking over my shoulder at Trance, he met my gaze for only a second before his expression froze over and he looked away, staying where he was.

"Get _off_ of me! What the hell were you doing?" Daiki's voice was decorated with irritation and incredulity as he tried to sit upright with Lettie sprawled out, slightly dazed, on top of him.

"I thought she was open!" Lettie defended herself when she gathered her composure. She scrambled off of Daiki and scowled deeply. "It's not like you were doing that well, anyways!"

"Mind your own business!" Daiki growled. "You have your own dude to take care of!"

"Why don't you stop and use your brain for a moment?" Lettie shot back fiercely, not backing down even though she was two years younger than the boy and much smaller. Her eyes were fiery as she said, "We obviously have to work as a team, idiot!"

"Shut _up_," Daiki growled through gritted teeth. "Don't interfere with my fight, damnit!" And as he rushed at me, he unintentionally—I hoped—knocked his shoulder roughly into Lettie's. She let out a surprised grunt at the impact, stumbling over her own two feet.

In a heartbeat, I had rushed over and caught her before she fell, my forearms hooking under her armpits. She tilted her head back to look up at me upside down, startled.

I smiled down at her. "You okay?"

It took the blonde girl a moment to nod her head, the shocked expression melting away. She straightened herself up, and I helped her do so.

"It probably hurts a ton, but the chances are that you'll only have a small bruise tomorrow," I told her, grinning. "I used to do that a lot with Kait—a friend. I always ended up getting hurt worse," I admitted, thinking back to all those times when I tried shouldering Kaito when I was younger, only to let out howls of pain. He hardly ever wailed out—he mostly just swore under his breath and then chased me around, trying to give me a noogie.

Surprising me, she let out a laugh and smiled at me, her upward tilt of the lips just was bright and lovely as her eyes. "Me too!"

I opened my mouth to say something, but then the cloth that was tied to Trance tightened, and abruptly I was stumbling from the force of the pull, tumbling to the side. I looked over and saw Daiki skidding to a stop just a few feet from where I had been, whipping his head over to look over at me before his eyes slid over to Trance.

My eyes followed Daiki's gaze, resting on where the red-haired boy stood impassively. The thick cloth was wrapped a few times around his arm, and he had pulled hard. As if he sensing my gaze on him, he turned and glowered at me fiercely. The look on his face was enough to make me feel as if I had been thrown into the South Pole's water, left to fend for myself alongside penguins.

He let the cloth's extra wraps around his wrist loose, so now the distance we could travel was once again back to eight meters. As Gin declared there was only a minute left, he began heading for Lettie, preparing to pull her string. She seemed to realize that he was going to go on the offensive this time, and she prepared herself, her expression setting into one of concentration.

I thinned my lips, wrinkling my nose slightly before letting my gaze rest on Daiki, who stared at me with blazing eyes, expectant. I sighed, and mimicked Trance, heading over to the light-haired boy. We were five feet apart, but he stood defiantly, muscles tensed and refusing to retreat.

When I was within reach, I clenched my hands into a fist and pulled it back, aiming for his stomach. He expected me to hit him, to try and cause him bodily harm. His first instinct would be to either block or dodge, and he did the former. The force I had been exerting in the beginning as it flew at him was gone at the end as he caught my fist easily, clearly surprised at how it was hardly a tap against his palm, much less a punch.

"Just kidding," I told him with a smile, my other hand shooting out to wrap around his arm. His eyes widened as I pulled him toward me firmly, letting go just as his body passed mine so that I could pull the string on his arm loose. He stumbled past me due to the unexpectedness of it all.

I whirled around to face him, and as his grip on my fist loosened, I stretched my fingers out and gripped onto his wrist, providing an anchor so that he didn't topple over. When he regained himself, he stared down at my hand still clutching at his wrist and the small piece of string that I held up in front of me, smiling.

He yanked his arm free and glared at me, but I stared back with the light smile on my face.

"Lettie was right, you know," I told him, head tilting slightly. "This was supposed to be an exercise testing teamwork. Nice try, though." I grinned and clasped my hands together behind my back. "I'm not as horrible as you think I am. It's best not to underestimate people." I met his eyes for another moment before pivoting on my heels and heading over to where Trance and Lettie were.

Trance immediately began to untie the cloth that tied us together, not even sparing me a glance as he walked away. My eyes trailed after him, and I resisted the urge to exhale noisily as I unwrapped the fabric from my own wrist and tossed it back to Gin before heading back to the edge of the clearing.

Over the course of the next while, I was able to watch the matches and analyze all the students. Sometimes I was challenged and I accepted, but the other times, I observed meticulously, spotting their weaknesses and their strengths.

I paid extra attention when Trance and Zero were paired up together, because as the battles continued on, the trainees got to learn a bit from the previous pair. They started to work together—or attempt to, at least—and that meant that the leaders had to do the same in order to counter properly. Trance and Zero worked together so well, it was almost scary. It was obvious that they were familiar with one another's fighting style. It was deeper than what Zero had told me back at the Association during the rebellion.

They were friends.

Envy flooded me when I realized it. I wasn't sure who I was jealous of, though. Both, most likely. I was jealous that Zero was able to have a close relationship with my younger brother when I couldn't. He was able to talk with him and work with him and not have the fourteen-year-old Tashiro hate him and loathe being within his presence. He didn't give Zero death glares. He and Zero were close enough to treat each other like crap, but still have their relationship remain strong. On the other hand, I was envious of Trance for the same reason. He was able to have such friendship and comradeship with Zero, something that I wanted to have, yet probably never would.

It was depressing to think about, and I found myself sighing and brooding over it for a while.

When we were done with the sparring—it took a handful of hours—we headed back for lunch, some of them breathing heavily from the energy they used. When that was done, we ended up splitting up into our groups and following the station schedule. For today, I was supposed to be in charge of the strategy aspect, so I ended up bringing my group to the dining hall.

Lettie was enthusiastic as always, and I had the feeling we'd get along really, really well. Sora was silent and detached, making me worry about him. I decided that I would try hard to break him from his shell, too. I planned to speak with him whenever I could. The other two, Hisako and Mitsuru, were wary, but they weren't mischievous or anything.

Daiki wasn't there. However, he appeared when the groups rotated, and I frowned upon realizing that. I let it slide, though—after all, I wasn't going to drag him back and force him to be within my presence if he truly hated me that much.

Not yet, at least.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

So yes, that concludes the twentieth chapter! It's basically setting up the next few chapters and the duration of the training camp! I'm actually super excited, but I don't think I'm as excited as writing about winter break. HAHA.

I'm a bit sorry for the amount of OCs I have in my stories. But VK doesn't really expand on the hunters, and it just centers around the main cast, so I had to make up all my own since Ivy IS a hunter, y'know? Y'KNOW? AND I HAVE TO GIVE HER A FAMILY, TOO. SO... SO... AND EX5 IS NECESSARILY, AND I... I... -SOBS-

I hope that, despite all the OCs I've created, you guys are still okay! I hope that you're able to remember them and that it doesn't totally hurt your brain to remember everyone. OTL.

As always, I apologize for any grammar mistakes, spelling errors, and OOCness that may have occurred within this chapter! ( Hardly any canon characters were even in this chapter, though. I mean, Zero got five seconds. -SHOT- )

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;  
><strong>Guest, Juliedoo, thecoldforest, Astin, Tokine8696, XxZuiliu, Ficchii, XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX, Sasame103, Sweety1607, luvJesusInHeavn, Demonic Angel 7, Fangirling Duck, xXMizukiXx, Anemos, and Simplicity-Shitsuboku<strong>

Thank you guys for your amazing and lovely and ASDFGHJKL reviews! I love you guys! (:

Also, thanks to every who alerted and favourited! It means a lot, too~

OKAY, RESPONSES. FAST, QUICK, GO!

To **Juliedoo**;

I adore Aidou and Ivy together, but then again, I really love Aidou with anyone because he's just so fun. LOL.  
>And oh yes. Definitely. Ivy was getting so frustrated, if she held it in any longer than that, she probably wouldn't slapped him. HAHA.<br>ASDNVOAWENBOWEB. YES. I love Kenta. He's just. He's so cute, it should be impossible. But then again, I'm totally biased. OTL.  
>I KNOW, I KNOWWWWWWW. ARGH. I want to throw her under a bus or something. I'm so angry, I can't even. And you KNOW that they're gonna interact at the Kuran mansion and it's going to get all tense or awkward between the three of them. Or hostile. And it's just. STOP. JUST STOP. SHE'S NOT WORTH IT. -SOBS-<br>Aw man, Lydia's not going to be introduced until, like mid-twenties or late-twenties chapter-wise. HAHA. I feel like a lot of people are anticipating her appearance, and I'm so worried that she's going to disappoint or be different from what everyone expects. ASDNOAWEBNOWEV. But I hope you look forward to her! (:  
>Thank you so much for sending me in a lovely review, and I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! Happy Valentine's Day  Singles' Awareness Day! (:

To **Astin**;

LOL, WHAT? You need to go and catch up, but I'm warning you right now that you will be flipping tables and yelling and getting angry and having an urge to just slap Yuuki and shave her bald before feeding her to sharks. I JUST CAN'T EVEN. ARGH. So frustrated.  
>And aww, thank you! I would send you some of my so-called "talent" ( HAH! ) if I could, but I can't. -SOBS-<br>Zero IS frustrating. To be honest, I find a lot of VK characters frustrating. LOL. But I still love them! It doesn't make up for the fact that half the time, they need to get slapped, though. ):  
>Kenta is happily celebrating his birthday with his family. LOL.<br>I HAVE TOO MANY OCS. I HOPE YOU HAVE ENOUGH LOVE FOR ALL OF THEM. -SOBS-  
>And nope! All chapters are going to have a purpose; this one is to set up the upcoming chapters. And the upcoming chapters will focus on Ivy and what happened five years ago, as well as the relationships between EX5! (:<br>I WOULD give her a chance to go, but that's too... I can't. LOL. She can't go because then she'd have to ditch training camp and she would never do that. BUT... Okay, I can't spoil. (;  
>I TRIED WRITING FOR ALL MY STORIES AND I COULDN'T. THERE'S NO TIME. SCHOOL, WHYYY? OTL. I'm sorry, but at least I can update Heterochromia! ASDFGHJKL.<br>Thank you for always supporting me, Astin! I hope that you liked the latest chapter, and happy Valentine's Day / Singles' Awareness Day! ;D

To **Tokine8696**;

I'm hoping that by the time I finish all my responses, it's still before midnight! -DIES- And thank you!  
>Trust me, I know what you mean. Whenever I see Zero and Yuuki together in the manga, I want to flip tables and then wail. It's horrible. I'm not sure if I want him to have his memories erased, but... ARGH. VK, WHYY?<br>Aww, I'm sorry I disappointed you a bit with that! But the fluffy Zero and Ivy moments will come on in later chapters, I promise! I'm not sure how long it'll take, but there will be lots. LOTS. Eventually. HAHA. I'd say that it DOES speak a lot about their relationship; everything Ivy said, how she said it, how she felt, what ZERO did. I think that there's a lot of meaning behind it, but then again... I'm the author. Totally biased here. XD  
>Shiki, huh? xD I can't really see the two of them as a couple, but I can definitely see why you'd think he'd make a pretty good rival. Kenta... Ohmy. Zero's got to look out, eh? (;<br>I didn't include an IvyxZero moment, but like I said, there will be lots in the future! Please be patient, and I hope you retain your sanity until then! HAHA.  
>Thank you so much for your continuous support! I appreciate it so much. I hope that you liked the latest update! Happy Valentine's Day  Singles' Awareness Day! (x

To **XxZuiliu**;

Why thank you! I'm so touched, you have no idea. HAHA. And I love complex stories... As long as they don't totally mess with my mind. -grins-  
>I try not to just throw in random OCs everywhere. LOL. I can't really say that now, though, after this arc. I mean, I'm- "HERE, OC! OH, LOOK, ANOTHER ONE! HEY, THERE'S THIRTY OF THEM!" But in all honestly, you only meet, like, seven. NOT THAT IT'S ANY BETTER, BECAUSE SEVEN NEW OCS IS LIKE... "WHAT?" but y'know. -SHOT- I'M SORRY.<br>;OO! Really? I'm so happy to know that you don't just skip over a few words within my large paragraphs! I tend to do that often, and I hate it, but I don't like editing them out because I end up feeling uneasy if I do. HAHA.  
>ASDFGHKL. THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME! It happens a lot, and I'm not sure why. A lot of the italicized words end up gluing together with the word after it, and sometimes I miss out on some, so thank you for telling me! And for the compliment as well! -blushes-<br>Nono, it's fine! I absolutely adore long reviews; I'm beyond happy that you'd even take the time to write me a long one!  
>HAHA. It's true! It's weird to think about Zero fighting for Ivy's affections or anything, and he's clearly not going to do that anytime soon, but there will be a day where he has to, you know what I mean? Because Ivy's dense and she believes he's madly in love with Yuuki, so unless something clear happens, she's just going to continue with her assumption. xD It's also true that Ivy doesn't really have any romantic feelings for anyone, but Zero is of course her main person of affection. Kaito and her are strictly on a sibling basis, and the relationship between Al and Ivy... Well... xD Kenta. Yes, Kenta. She's totally clueless when it comes to how he feels.<br>I think that, while it's a good thing that Kenta's not included in her world of vampires and stuff, it's also a bad thing, y'know what I mean? I'm not spoiling anything, so I can tell you that Ivy wouldn't be able to have a romantic relationship with anyone who isn't fully aware of who she is, what she is, and everything that it means. She'd feel really guilty about it, and she's feel so suppressed. xD  
>I'm hoping that by the time I'm done responses, it's still before midnight! ASDNBOAWENBWEOPB. And thank you! Belated Lunar New Years to you! And happy Valentine's Day  Singles' Awareness Day! -beams-  
>Thank you so much for your insightful, lovely review! I loved reading it! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! (:<p>

To **XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX**;

LMAO. Yes! Kenta's birthday is on Valentine's, so in addition to chocolate from all his admirers, people send him gifts, too! He gets totally swamped on that day, and he usually blushes like crazy. His face is practically red the entire day. ;D  
>Kenta and Ivy together in the end? To be totally honest, I can see it. I can honestly see the two of them in a house, sitting together on a couch snuggling as they watch movies and falling asleep together. And I feel like I'm betraying Zero for saying it, but I think they'd look adorable together. BUT AS MUCH AS I LOVE THEM TOGETHER... I'm a ZeroxIvy shipper. -SHOT-<br>I definitely know what you mean! Something about him draws you in. It's this dark charisma. But I agree; despite the fact that he's interesting and poor, tragic soul, it doesn't excuse any of his ridiculous behaviour. I'm always so torn about how I feel when it comes to Kaname. I don't know why he loves Yuuki so much. ;_;  
>HAHA! I love Aidou! He's so fun to write and everything about him is just... -DIES- I remember him bossing Zero around, too! It was hilarious. xD<br>Ivy DOES like being around Aidou even though all he does is insult and make fun of her! She takes it lightly and it never hits too hard, and she loves how he's able to be "mean" to her without making her feel like crap. xD  
>Sorry about the poor transitions! ASNDBOAEWNOB. I would've done them better, but in all honesty, I had no idea how. LOL. And I didn't want to split them into different chapters, so... -SHOT-<br>Definitely! Ivy was reaching a boiling point. She probably would've hit him if she had held it in any longer. I think that most fangirls are still too blind about Zero to realize that he's an idiot. As much as I love him, he's an idiot for thinking that Yuuki is the center of his world. He can do better, he really can. ;_;  
>Weird is a hundred percent okay! HAHA. I have love-hate relationships with conflicting emotions. -sigh-<br>Kaname! I honestly thought that more people would say Kaname, but I guess not. LOL. I think he'd make a scary love rival, too. In general. He's manipulative and all, so I feel like he'd be able to deceive the girl half the time. I don't know. xD  
>YESSSSS. AIDOU. I FEEL LIKE HIM AS A RIVAL WOULD BE AMAZING. Because he's so... I can't even find the right word for him, but YES. I agree.<br>HAHA, oh Kenta. Kenta, Kenta, Kenta... How he'll fare against Zero, well... We'll have to see. (;  
>Thank you so much for your faithful support! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia, and happy Valentine's Day  Singles' Awareness Day! (:

To **Sasame103**;

Aww, THANK YOU! I'd say that calling it one of the BEST OC fanfics is a bit too flattering, but THANK YOUUUUU! I'm so glad that you mustered up enough emotions within you to write me a review and share your thoughts with me! You have absolutely no idea how absolutely delighted I am to hear from you! (:  
>Feel free to call me whatever you see fit! (: I love it when my fellow FFnet buddies drop the formalities! (:<br>HAHA, I think Ivy is one of the most complex OCs I have ever created, and I love her for it. I think that it's BECAUSE she's so complicated that I love her so much. And I think that most people think OCs that aren't cold or harsh are Mary-Sues. A large part of me hopes that Ivy can be an OC that totally just smashes that stupid thought, y'know what I mean? But I have no idea how well that's happening. LOL. I'm so glad that you don't think of her as a Mary-Sue! I try hard not to make her one, but as an author, I'm totally biased. HAHA.  
>It's fine if your review got cut off! I just hope that your phone is okay. xD And there weren't mistakes, so no worriesssss!<br>... People... pair Zero up... with nekoimi OCs? What are those? LOL. From the sound of it, it's not good. THEY'RE not good, I mean.  
>AL. I don't think that he'll be showing up much until a lot later; this arc has a lot more Nao in it, though! I hope that makes up for it a bit! HAHA. I'm glad you love Al so much! I think he's wonderful and he's always so fun to write about. -DIES- Violet probably won't be showing up for a long time, either. I hope that you'll stay with me until then, though! (:<br>Kenta has black hair. LOL. BEDHEADDDD... In the form of a faux-hawk. -SHOT- He just wakes up that way. And mmnargh, yes, Kenta is so cute. I adore him to bits. He practically radiates sunshine and bunnies. He DOES deserve a wonderful girlfriend and someone who can make him happy. How he and Ivy progress along in their relationship... WELL... (;  
>Trance is probably the second most complicated OC in the story, right after Ivy! Or that's just how I see him. And I love him to bits. I think that you will, too, as you learn more about him. And ARASHI. DEAR LORD. I think that Arashi beats Kenta out for cuteness. By a large margin. I DIDN'T EVEN THINK IT WAS POSSIBLE.<br>There will definitely be more appearances with Kaito, but I'm not sure how many or how long they'll be! But I love Kaito as a character; he's one of the ones in VK that haven't ever pissed me off. I'm so happy he's there, so he'll appear later on in Heterochromia without a doubt!  
>Kaname creates all these conflicting emotions. It's ASGNOWNPEWB. And oh, no, please don't worry. I totally agree with you about Yuuki. I loathe her with a passion. You have no idea how many times I've wanted to strangle her. -SHOT- I hope that she dies, and that Zero and Kaname move on. I hope they find happiness with people who actually deserve them, you know what I mean?<br>Al's definitely the type to go after what he wants full-force. HAHA. His relationship with Ivy is... -DIES-  
>As for the artwork, I've already PMed you, so YAAAAAY! Did I mention to you THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU? (;<br>Also, thank you for your support and for sharing your lovely thoughts with me! I'm delighted! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia, and happy Valentine's Day / Singles' Awareness Day! -beams-

To **Fangirling Duck**;

THE LATEST CHAPTER WAS RIDICULOUS. I also just sat there, stunned. And then I started to wail and cry and break pencils because I CAN'T EVEN. -breathes-  
>LOL. The scene where Yuuki drinks Zero's blood is in the actual manga! I could hardly believe it when that happened, and I hated having to include it in Heterochromia, BUT I HAD TO. -SOBS-<br>And ;OOO! You think they had a "sort of good" relationship that just started to go downhill? REALLY? I'd say that their relationship actually just got better and better and better and Ivy's outburst just set them back a step or two. Is that just me? O_O  
>And HAHA, WHY THANK YOU. Ivy would've probably died a bit on the inside if you applauded, and then gave you the "please shut up and get out of here, this is a private moment" look. XD I'd say that it's a speech that every Zero fangirl who ISN'T BLINDED BY HIS BISHOUNEN GORGEOUSNESS would say. I mean, some fangirls out there still can't admit that Zero's an idiot. Or maybe I'm just too hard on him. OTL. I know what you mean, though. As much as I love him... I can't just turn a blind eye to all his flaws. ASDFGHNKL.<br>I swear there are no guys like Kenta anymore. Or, at least, I haven't met any. It makes me sad, because Kenta practically vomits rainbows and sunshine. I want to know someone like that. ):  
>LOL. IVY'S TOTALLY CLUELESS. ANBONEWOBNOWEA. There's SORT OF a reason for that, though. Sort of. Kind of.<br>GIN IS AMAZING. I LOVE GIN SO MUCH AND HE'S SO FUN TO WRITE ABOUT. AWNEBONAWEOAWVP.  
>I don't think that picking Kaname is bad! ;O I think that it's pretty awesome, actually. Kaname's pretty manipulative, so he knows how to make a girl fall for him, y'know? And he's got that dark, mysterious charisma to him that pulls people in. I wouldn't be surprised at all if he presented himself as a strong love rival. (;<br>HAHA, THANK YOU FOR THE NICKNAME! You can honestly just call me whatever you see fit, though! I'm not sure whether I'm older than you or not, but I'm still in high-school! (:  
>Thank you so much for your hilarious reviews, and for always supporting me! I am so grateful. (: I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia! Also, happy Valentine's Day  Singles' Awareness Day! -grins-

To **xXMizukiXx**;

ASDFGJKL. I SHALL. Thank you! Your compliments always make me feel a bit fuzzy on the inside. -grins-  
>MMNARGH, I KNOW. Kenta's beyond cute. I can't even. He's adorable. Like... bunnies frolicking through a meadow sort of cute. I CAN'T. xD<br>Zero's always wallowing in self-remorse, though. OTL. Or, at the very least, that's how I see him. He's so in love with Yuuki, it hurts to watch. He ends up neglecting people, and I can't. AWNBOAEWNBWO. I want to slap some sense into him. -SIGH- I've always hated Yuuki. I'm sorry if I'm converting you into a hater of her, too. ;_;  
>And to be honest, if Ivy hadn't burst now and held it in longer, when she finally DID explode, she would've slapped him. LOL.<br>Aidou is hilarious and lovely. I adore him to bits. ;D He and Ivy are really fun to write about, but I think that either one of them are fun to write about with practically anyone else. I'd say that Ivy's just witty and used to snappy retorts because of Lydia and Cheryl, and Aidou... LOL. YOU'RE KILLING ME WITH YOUR IMAGE. -DIES-  
>Ohmyyyyyy. GINNNNN. I love writing about him. I really do. And him with Ivy. ASNOVNEOGBEWAb. THEIR RELATIONSHIP. And he and Lydia are so... ARGH. LOL. I WANT TO WRITE SO MUCH AND UPDATE SUPER FAST TO SHOW YOU GUYS, BUT WHY IS THERE SO LITTLE TIME?! T_T<br>SHIKI. I can see him as a love rival, but I can't see him and Ivy together. I can only see them as sibling-like friends, like that sort of closeness. But if we're not specifically talking about Ivy and someone, then yeah. Shiki. I'd say that most people would disregard him as a threat, but then BAM. He strikes and it just blows everyone else away. xD  
>Aww, thank you! You have no idea how much I appreciate hearing from you all the time!<br>Thank you so much for your faithful, continuous encouragement and support! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia, and happy Valentine's Day / Singles' Awareness Day! (:

To **Anemos**;

GINN. I'm glad that you like him already! I honestly love writing about him. HAHA. Actually, Gin and Al are pretty good friends! (:  
>There's a lot to be learned in this arc about EX5, but I feel like it still wouldn't answer all the questions you have! And yes, Nao will definitely be popping up a lot in the future chapters! Emi doesn't play a MAJOR role or anything, she probably won't be shown nearly as much as you'd think. xD I'm trying to fit fourteen days work of training camp in, like, five chapters. I hope it ends up working up well. -SOBS- And Trance... I feel like everything will make so much sense later on, y'know what I mean?<br>ASDFGHJKL. Yes. Kaname is black raspberry. Definitely, ESPECIALLY after that awesome explanation. HAHA. I can't even. I want Zero to be a vanilla and blueberry swirl! Can we settle for that? -sparkly eyed-  
>Physically... WELL. I probably shouldn't say that much, but I agree with Ivy's emotional stability isn't very steady. She tries hard to suppress everything, and at times, she just ends up exploding because it's too much. She'd end up breaking herself unless she let it all out, and when she does, it comes out as outbursts of emotion. And sometimes, certain words or certain actions just trigger things in her memory that she can't handle, so she ends up breaking down, as shown in this chapter. xD She definitely can't beat Kaname in terms of keeping on a mask, though. Kaname's just... My heart breaks for him because he always needs to put on a facade. I agree that it's not something to be proud of. D;<br>And yeah, probably. HAHA. Kaname's just... when it comes to Yuuki, he goes to such crazy measures. Who really knows what he's got planned if you mess with her, y'know? Intentionally or not.  
>About that! Actually, Ivy's a stable Level D, and she will remain that way! The reason for that is because Purebloods' blood can prolong the fall to a Level E, right? And with Ivy, like 70 - 75% of her blood count is a Pureblood's, from the very moment she Changed. So she has always had the support of that. Her life span hasn't ever had the chance to deteriorate fast like Zero's, who didn't have a Pureblood's blood for years. She's had it ever since she became a vampire, therefore she's never even come close to sinking to a Level E, and neither are any of the EX5 members. Despite this stability of being a Level D, though, there's skepticism about it. xP But yeah! I think that this answers the question about whether she's ever taken blood from the Pureblood who bit her, too. But no, she hasn't. Not directly. But she always has his blood within her, so she's always consuming it, whether she wants to or not.<br>Definitely! Ivy's never had anyone feel anything romantic for her and ACTED like it, or told her or anything. She doesn't believe that love is possible for her, but that's something for another chapter. (; Kenta's relationship with Ivy... I wouldn't compare it at all to the triangle between Zero, Kaname, and Yuuki, but I think that it's because I don't consider Ivy or Kenta anything like Yuuki and Kaname, you know what I mean?  
>Yup! Ivy's pretty hypocritical if you look at it, and Zero knows this. Actually, most people know this. LOL. Ivy's aware of it sometimes, but it's usually in hindsight. She tries not to be, but it's really just how she is. She has the best of intentions in mind, though. xD<br>AIDOUU! Yes! He had actually been walking back to the Moon Dorms when Ivy and Zero were speaking, and he eavesdropped. He's good at concealing his aura, and both hunters were so riled up with emotions they couldn't sense him. He ran back to the Moon Dorms and changed, pretending to play it cool. xD  
>Training camp will do Ivy some good! HAHA. And she'll try not to let Emi or Trance get her down. She has to make up with Zero eventually, though, I'd say. I just have no idea when. -DIES-<br>HAHA. Gin's the type that would think about playing matchmaker, but he would never do it unless he absolutely believed they were destined for one another and were going in completely opposite directions. He usually wants to let them work it out themselves, and even when he DOES play matchmaker, he does it really subtly and pretends he's not. ;D  
>And nono, it's fine! I love long reviews! (:<br>Thank you so much for always supporting me and sharing your wonderful thoughts with me! It means a ton! I hope that you liked the latest chapter of Heterochromia! Happy Valentine's Day / Singles' Awareness Day! ;D

END OF RESPONSES.

GUYS, GUYS, IT'S ALMOST 11 PM. DEAR LORD. ASBNWEOAWOEV.

All those walls of text! Oh my goodness. ASDFGHJKL.

BUT OKAY, I SHOULD WRAP THIS UP QUICKLY EVEN THOUGH I'LL PROBABLY TAKE FOREVER.

First off, thanks to everyone who answered my question! I loved hearing your thoughts on it! (: This time...

**QUESTION: What do you want to happen the most during this training camp? ( And it can't include Ivy and Zero professing their love to one another. Or doing unspeakably, naughty things at night. -SHOT- )**

I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please share them with me in a review or a PM! (:

SO GUYS, I'M GOING TO UPDATE IN, LIKE, TEN MINUTES AND IT'S STILL TECHNICALLY VALENTINE'S DAY WHERE I LIVE. I'M SO SORRY IT'S SO LATE, THOUGH. -SOBS- PLEASE DON'T KILL ME. AWNBOENWOBNWAOEV. For a lot of you, Valentine's Day has probably already passed; I'M SORRY. OTL.

I don't really have that much more to say except that I hope I can update soon!

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	21. To Closed Eyes

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters. All rights belong solely to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N:**

YOOOOOOOOOO! How are you guys all doing?

It's been a week or two since I was supposed to update, which was before the fourteenth of March. I'M SORRY. -SOBS- I'm late for this update, but life has been crazy. I'll try to update something in early April as well as late April, to make it up! ASDFGHHJKL.

The latest VK chapters make me so angry. Like... You guys have no idea how angry I've been. I could have transformed into a dinosaur and eaten half the world because I was so angry. I'm STILL pretty pissed, actually. Yeah. ANGER. MMNARGH. ASDFGNROWARNBPWB.

EXCITING NEWS, GUYSSSSS!

**~*ART*~**

OHOHOHOHOHO. THAT'S RIGHT. I'm back again this time with some fanart I received in the time that I didn't update! I'm sorry I'm actually kind of late showing you guys!

The picture was drawn by **XxZuiliu**, and it's a picture of Ivy after finishing a raid! I LOVE IT. LIKEEEE. HER HAIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. I CAN'T. IT'S JUST SO PRETTY. I LOVE THE BACKGROUND, TOO. OHMYGOODNESS. I have thanked you a million times, but I'll say it again here. THANK YOU SO MUCH. You are absolutely wonderful, and I am so grateful and so touched, I can't even. THANK YOU. (x

Please check it out! (: The link to it is:

s1276 . beta . photobucket user/Zuiliu/media/6515cbc5-98be-4c56-a4f4-0471bcd4e3d1_zpsb3f29973 . jpg . html?state=copy

Don't forget to take out all the spaces!

**OH RIGHT. GUYSSSS, LISTEN**: There have been a couple of times when people want to draw fanart for me, and they ended up going through the chapters trying to find all the details for the characters. Please spare yourselves from that. LOL. I don't want you guys spending so long looking for the little details I have written scattered everywhere. If you want to do art, please feel free to PM me or give me a review or something asking for details! I'll gladly give them to you. LOL. Honestly, please don't try to skim through all the chapters. I'd feel so guilty. OKAY. THAT'S IT. THANK YOU. ;D

Other than that, there's not much to say... Except, y'know. Tons of OCs. Nao.

YUP.

It's spring, guys! Or, well, spring is approaching. Any of you on break? ;OO

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE;**

_"To Closed Eyes"_

* * *

><p><strong>TRAINING CAMP—DAY THREE<strong>

In the morning, when I saw Lettie, she waved at me happily and greeted me. I somehow found myself sitting with her and her group of friends, all of whom seemed somewhat tense at first before relaxing. We ended up talking about the most random things—about what we wanted for Christmas, what we planned to do, whether it would snow or not. They were all adorable girls, and I couldn't help but smile and laugh with them almost as if I was twelve, too.

After finishing our breakfasts, I gathered my group together. Daiki was still missing—he had disappeared back into his room, something I was sure of. Instead of forcing him out, I smiled at Sora when he practically dragged his feet over. His shaggy, dark brown hair curled slightly outward at the ends, his bangs falling into his eyes to obscure the shocking cerulean pools he had.

"Good morning," I chirped as he approached, dressed in a t-shirt and black hoodie, dark charcoal sweatpants hiding his long legs. He was only thirteen, but he was just as tall as Trance, and Trance was five feet and six inches. Neither had hit their growth spurts yet, I was sure. "Had a nice rest?"

"Good morning," he murmured, not bothering to push his hair out of his face. I wanted to reach over and do it for him, but I decided that perhaps acting overly familiar with him would just make him despise me.

"What are we starting with today?" Lettie asked curiously, raising her eyebrows at me. She too was dressed appropriately for all types of activity today.

"Endurance training," I told the four of them, grinning when disappointment touched Lettie and Mitsuru's expressions. "I'd go easy on you guys, but today's the second day of training. Who did you guys have yesterday for endurance?"

"Nao-san," Lettie replied, sighing. "He didn't let us off easy at all. He made us run up and down the mountain three times—going up and down is counted as _once_—in an hour and a half!"

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "That's _it_?"

"What do you mean, 'that's it'?" Lettie asked me incredulously, sounding horrified. She stared up at me with her wide eyes and exclaimed, "That _killed_ us!"

Shaking my head, I laughed. "Are you guys serious? Nao was being _nice_ to you guys by doing that. Trust me, if he wasn't cutting you guys some slack, you probably wouldn't be finished even now."

Lettie and Mitsuru's faces paled considerably. "W-What do you mean?" The two of them stammered in unison, not even glancing at each other. Their eyes were fixated on me, looking at me as though I was telling them a scary story and had just reached the climax.

Smiling, I said lightly, "If he was being hard on you, he would've made you guys run up and down the mountain ten times—up and down counting as once—within an hour."

"That's impossible!" Lettie burst out, colour rushing to her cheeks. She no longer looked horrified, but almost _angry_.

"Lettie-chan's right!" Mitsuru agreed.

Shaking my head again, I reassured them, "By the end of camp, you guys will be doing that easily." Clasping my hands together in front of my chest before pointing my index finger at the kitchen, swerving my body to do so, I said, "Go get some water bottles from the fridge—not just _one_, but more than that. You'll need it. We're going to do the mountain three times in an hour and fifteen minutes today, followed by some weight-lifting for the rest of the time."

Lettie and Mitsuru groaned loudly while Hisako giggled at her teammates' obvious displeasure. Sora hadn't said anything, merely doing what he was told to. When they had gotten their bottles—I gathered a few extra and put them in a backpack I'd be carrying with me, with first-aid kits and other necessities in it—and we put on our shoes and coats, heading out towards the mountain.

As we left the cabin, we passed by Zero's group, who were heading over towards the equipment shed. His group was talking amongst themselves as he lingered at the back, keeping his eyes on them. A part of me wanted him to look up so I could meet his gaze, and just as the thought crossed my mind, his amethyst orbs locked with mine.

I opened my mouth, wanting to say something, say _anything_. I wanted to apologize to him for crossing the line a few days ago, or to tell him that I still believed in each and every single word I had said back then. But my mind was wiped clean as I saw him, and just as the words began to form on the tip of my tongue, someone tugged on the sleeve of my overcoat and said my name.

Tearing my eyes away from his with so much effort, I looked down and saw that it was Hisako who was pulling on my sleeve. The pale, dark-haired eleven-year-old was pointing out at how the moon was still visible in the dreary blue-grey of the sky, and I couldn't help but engage in conversation with her over it.

Zero and I passed by one another without a single word.

* * *

><p>When we reached the mountain—it wasn't that long of a walk before the trail began to wind up—I looked at my wristwatch, taking note of the time. "Okay, you know what you need to do right? Three times and then back here in an hour and fifteen?"<p>

"Are you coming with us?" Mitsuru asked curiously, his dark brown eyes staring at me expectantly.

I raised my eyebrows. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Nao-san didn't come with us," Lettie replied, tightening the band that she used to tie her hair up into its usual high ponytail. "He stayed here and waited for us to come back."

"Is that so?" I murmured contemplatively. It sounded a lot like him. He knew that they were old enough to simply follow a trail up a mountain, and the he would know when one of them got injured. Out of all of us, Nao probably had the keenest senses. Not to mention the fact that he knew there was nothing out there in the forests of the mountain. He must've done a check beforehand in order to make sure of that, or else he wouldn't have let them go alone.

"Yeah," Lettie confirmed. "It's okay, though. We were able to do it anyways."

A slight smile graced my features. "Nao trusted that you guys would be okay. That's why he let you guys go by yourself. He doesn't want to treat you guys like children, because you're not." I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my trench coat and said, "So we're going to start now. It's okay if you fall back or take breaks. It's not a race to see who finishes first."

"Who will you be running with if we all go at different times?" Hisako asked me, a hopeful glimmer in her eyes.

My teeth flashed. "Whoever I end up meeting, of course." Glancing at my watch again, I instructed, "Okay. _Go_!"

It took them a moment to start running—I had confused them, not giving them a "ready, set"—but it hit them all at the same time, and they ended up swiveling around, almost stumbling over themselves as they hurried up the dirt path of the mountain.

I waited fifteen minutes before I started jogging up the mountain myself, deciding that it would be really good exercise. It might as well also help keep me in shape. Of course, though, I was much more fit and capable of doing this than the trainees, partially because I had vampire genes, and also partially because I had already done this before. I ended up passing Lettie first—she tried keeping up with me, but to no avail—and then I passed Mitsuru, then Hisako. It was somewhat surprising at how far ahead Sora was. It took me a few minutes of regular jogging to see him, and by the time I passed him, we were already on our way down.

On the third time up, I stopped at the marked destination—it wasn't the _top_ of the mountain, of course, but it was high enough to cause an extreme workout to those who weren't used to it—and sat down. It wasn't because I was tired, but because I wanted to make sure that everyone was okay. I mean, I knew they were, but I wanted to know that they weren't dying from exhaustion as they reached this point.

I had been sitting there, leaning back against the palms of my hands with my legs sprawled out in front of me, when Sora reached the top for the last time today. Even though he was completely out of breath, his pants didn't sound like pants. He just sounded like he was breathing a bit louder and faster, rather than gulping in air like I heard Lettie doing.

"Do you want to take a break before heading down?" I asked him just as he looked like he was about to turn and descend. He stopped with his body half-turned away. "I think that you deserve it. Hisako will take at least fifteen minutes to catch up, and that's assuming that she won't be taking a break, too."

Sora hesitated for a moment before slowly turning back to face me. He set himself down across from me after walking around for a minute or two in order to slow his heartbeat. The ends of his hair were sticking to his face, sweat dripping from his temples down to his cheeks and off the edges of his jaw.

"Here." I tossed him a bottle of water, and he caught it with ease despite how abrupt it was. I smiled at him when he looked at me through his bangs and said, "I always carry extras for you guys. Lettie was in dire need of a few extra bottles whenever I saw her."

"Thanks," came his quiet response. He uncapped the bottle and began to gulp the liquid down, finishing it halfway before stopping to take a deep breath. He capped it again, setting it down beside him. His breathing was already starting to regulate itself.

Curious about the silent boy, I questioned after a few heartbeats, "Is this your first time at winter camp?"

He glanced at me for a second before he looked away. Shaking his head, he answered, "Third."

"Have you been to any of the summer ones?" I asked him, remembering when I had gone. I felt like summer camp was ten times worse than winter camp, because it was blazing hot during those two weeks. It felt like the sun was cooking me alive. I would be dripping in so much sweat by the time the day was over that I could've wrung my shirt and a river would've formed.

"Once," he said, not looking at me. He stared over the top of my head, but I knew that there wasn't anything really special there. I had been here enough times—and I had sat here long enough—to know. I expected him to be finished speaking, which was why I was so surprised when he continued, "I hated it."

"Too hot?" I guessed, laughing when he nodded his head. "I know. It's torturous having to do camp in the summer. I feel like the real challenge isn't if you can do any of the activities, but whether or not you can survive the boiling heat."

"The _campfires_..." Sora paused, shaking his head again, this time more roughly. From underneath his bangs, I saw his vivid eyes roll. "It's stupid."

"It's supposed to be one of the biggest highlights of the day," I informed him, watching him raise a single eyebrow at me. I nodded my head solemnly before breaking out into a smile. "I mean, campfire dinners every night out in the blazing hot weather. How much better can it get?"

"The flies and mosquitoes were too annoying for anyone to enjoy the food," said Sora without missing a beat. The corners of his lips twitched upwards at first when he heard the light sarcasm in my voice, and I found myself smiling brightly at him.

Straightening myself up—my arms were getting a bit tired and were falling asleep due to how long I'd been leaning on them—I took a small sip of water from my own water bottle before saying, "When I went to summer camp before, there was this one night that we almost ended up eating poison ivy with our dinner. Needless to say, the leaders freaked out when they realized that someone didn't know their plants well enough and it was nearing the end of the two weeks."

He looked at me as if I was lying to him, but seeing that I wasn't, he muttered, "That's horrible. Anyone eat it?"

"Thankfully, no," I told him with a grin. "It would've ended much more dramatically if someone did. The leaders got really mad, though. Our training the next day was three times tougher than usual."

"Brutal."

"Oh, you have no idea." Glancing at my watch, I commented, "We have ten minutes to get back down to the bottom of the hill in order to make it back before the goal time. Are you up for it?"

Instead of voicing aloud his agreement, Sora stood up from the ground, brushing off the dirt that got onto his sweats. He picked up his half-finished water bottle as I began to place my things back into my bag—I had been reading and doing some paperwork as I waited. As I finished zipping up the backpack, a hand extended out toward me, and I blinked at it for a second, heart thudding in my chest, before following the length of it to meet Sora's eyes.

He frowned at me once he saw the look on my face. "What?"

Smiling, I shook my head and clasped his hand. It was bigger than mine by quite a lot, even though he was four years younger. "It's nothing."

He pulled me up onto my feet easily and let go. We stretched a bit and shared a mutual look before racing down. We had only gotten ten meters down from our original place when we passed by Hisako, who was on her way up. She was huffing and puffing, but her eyes were bright. She blinked at us, smiled, and waved. I grinned in return.

Sora and I reached the bottom before an hour and fifteen minutes had passed, Hisako coming just a few seconds before she would've been considered late. Mitsuru practically tripped onto Sora as he got to the last few feet, five minutes late. He was flushed dark red, breathing so loudly I wondered how the earth wasn't shaking. Lettie came two minutes after Mitsuru, not looking in any better shape. Her legs were shaking and she collapsed onto the floor, not able to stay on her feet and walk around for a while.

I was laughing as we walked back to the cabin.

* * *

><p>"Uh..." My mouth was opened wide as I prepared to bite down on an apple, but ended up forgetting to do so as I saw who had entered the kitchen. At three AM.<p>

"Shut your mouth," Emi said in disgust. "Stop gaping at me."

Doing as she said, I forced my teeth into the fruit, chewing. It sounded too loud in the silent, slightly tense room. I couldn't help but observe her, though—she was quiet and graceful, a hunter of high calibre. I was never left alone with Emi a lot, or for long periods of time, mostly because she disliked me and I didn't know why or what to do about it.

"Why are you up?" I asked her cautiously, watching as she headed toward the fridge.

"What, I can't eat?" She didn't even look at me, but her voice bared fangs. She yanked open the fridge door and rummaged around, eventually pulling out some leftovers from tonight's dinner. She stuck it into the microwave and began to gather her utensils.

I shook my head at her. "You're hungry at _three in the morning_?"

"As if _you're_ one to talk," came her retort.

For a few seconds, I didn't say anything. I merely scrutinized her contemplatively. She stopped the microwave a second before it was about to ring, not wanting the loud noise to echo through the hushed night. She took out the steaming food, setting it on a small mat and closing the microwave door. The short-haired hunter picked up her meal and her utensils, about to turn away.

That's when I broke the silence. "Why do you dislike me?"

She froze. The seconds ticked by, neither one of us saying anything or moving. Emotions flashed across her pretty features, but I wasn't able to read all of them before they disappeared. Eventually, she settled for glaring at me. "What the _hell_? What's your problem?"

"I'm just curious," I replied easily. I blinked at her and said with a small shrug, "You don't need to tell me if you don't want to."

The tall brunette girl merely gazed at me for a moment, an indescribable expression contorting her features for a second before it smoothed out into a deadpan. Shaking her head after seeing my slight smile, she scoffed and began to leave. "I don't need you to tell me that."

"Good night," I murmured to her as she reached the doorway. I stared at the apple in my hand as she continued on her way without even a hitch in her steps, feeling relatively satisfied. At least she hadn't tried to punch me.

With my lips curled upwards, I bit down on the apple.

* * *

><p><strong>TRAINING CAMP—DAY FOUR <strong>

"_Finally_," Lettie muttered under her breath as Daiki began to approach the group, his face void of any emotion. I raised my eyebrows at him in surprise, but smiled at him and waved.

"What do you use?" I asked him brightly, although I knew that something was off. He was glowering at me, but his eyes were ignited with something unpleasant that made my senses heighten.

"For variety training, a sword," he answered. His tone of voice threw me off, too. It sounded like he was smug about something, but I had no idea what. I stared at him for a moment, my mind running through all the possible scenarios I could conjure up.

He was up to something.

Weapons. Swords. It wasn't that hard to piece it all together.

I smiled at him and handed him the one that I was holding—it was a simple, traditional katana with a grey hilt and black sheathe. A few meters away, Mitsuru hollered my name, and I glanced over to see the twelve-year-old boy struggling to get his rifle to work properly. Turning back to Daiki, I said, "If you need help, just say so, okay?" My teeth flashed again, and then I was on my way to Mitsuru.

"Guns aren't my specialty," I told him honestly, making a face as I took the rifle out of his hands and began to inspect it. "That's more of Zero's thing."

Mitsuru's eyes brightened immediately upon hearing the silver-haired hunter's name. "He uses Bloody Rose, Ivy! _Bloody Rose!_ It's so cool. I asked him to demonstrate something, but he didn't. He said he'd show me next time, though."

"Did he?" I laughed, amused. My heart warmed slightly, loving how Mitsuru seemed to admire Zero so much. I found it adorable. "Okay, let's see..." I frowned, not quite sure what was wrong with it. I knew bits and pieces about rifles, since Yagari used them, but even so, I had absolutely no idea how to fix them properly.

"I should probably go ask someone to fix it before I end up making it worse," I murmured, smiling sheepishly. "I'm honestly horrible with guns."

"Are you going to ask Zero?" Mitsuru asked, excited. It was clear that he wanted to come along if I was.

Shaking my head slowly, I tried not to let the way his face dropped get to me. Aside from the fact that Zero and I still hadn't spoken a single word to one another since that day in the clearing, he was also on endurance training today, so he was pretty far away. I knew that Gin mastered guns as a secondary weapon, and he was much closer. "I planned to ask Gin."

"Oh." Mitsuru sighed. It was clear that although he liked Gin, Zero was the one he idolized. "Okay."

Feeling a bit guilty about ruining his mood, I waved the rifle around lightly and negotiated, "How about this—I don't ask Gin to fix this. I'll let you take it to Zero during dinner or something, and you can ask him to show you how to repair it. Sound good?" When Mitsuru nodded his head enthusiastically, his smile so wide it looked like it hurt, I grinned and said, "Want me to go get you another one of these?"

The dark-haired male shook his head and stated that he wanted to choose, rushing off to where I had taken extras out just in case something like this would happen. I watched his small back as he went, laughing softly to myself before I followed suit, though at a much slower pace.

I had been fixing one of the scarecrow dummies—it had fallen over due to the force of Sora's shot—when I heard rapid footsteps heading towards me and Lettie shrieking out, "Daiki, what are you doing?!"

Already having suspected that something like this would happen, I calmly turned around after setting the scarecrow back up properly. I turned just as Lettie and Hisako yelled my name out in warning, but I already knew.

Sword in hand, he came charging at me with a snarl on his face.

I didn't move. Even though he came sprinting at me with a katana in his hand, prepared to stab me through the heart, I planted my feet firmly into the ground and stared at him with a solemn expression decorating my features. For a second, as my weary and tired eyes met his enraged ones, I let him see the broken girl hidden over layers and layers of bubble wrap.

And when he rammed himself into me, unable to stop because he was going so fast, he toppled both of us over onto the floor. The sword was stabbed just next to my body, right where my heart would've been if I had been shifted just a few centimeters over. I heard Lettie and Hisako scream, but all I could focus on was the way Daiki's eyes were wide, horrified, stunned. He stared down at me with his mouth wide open, speechless.

I could feel the smooth, flat side of the blade against the clothes that covered my ribs with every breath I took, no matter how small. I merely stared up at him, masked, but not entirely.

"Why?" he whispered after a heartbeat. Even though his face was just a foot and a half away, I could barely hear him. "Why didn't you dodge?"

A soft, sober smile pulled at the corner of my lips and I asked him just as quietly, "Why did you purposely miss?"

If possible, his eyes only widened. "I—" but that was all he got out, or maybe that was all he was _able_ to get out, before Mitsuru and Sora began pulling him off of me roughly. Lettie was beside me in an instant, tears falling from her bright eyes and her body shaking.

"I was so scared," she whispered when I met her eyes after straightening up. "I-I thought he—"

"I'm okay," I tell her softly, pulling her to me and squeezing her.

"What the hell was that?" Sora's voice was so quiet, so dangerous, he sounded like someone ten years older than his age.

"You tried killing her," Mitsuru whispered, half incredulous and half horrified. "You tried _killing_ her."

And yet Daiki couldn't say anything. His dark topaz eyes remained on me, so many emotions fluttering across his features that it was impossible to tell what he was feeling or what he was thinking.

Pulling away from Lettie gently, I stood up. Shaking my head as I pulled the sword out from the dummy and the floor—if he had actually hit me with this, it would've gone straight through my body with immense ease—I said, "Sora, Mitsuru, it's okay. Let him go."

"_What_?" Mitsuru sounded outraged. "Are you crazy? He just—"

"And I'm saying that it's okay," I interrupted him softly, smiling at him in reassurance when he stared at me, slack-jawed. "Please let Daiki go."

The dark-haired brunette was the one that spoke this time, his eyes dark sapphire. "No."

Meeting Sora's eyes for a moment, I let a few heartbeats pass before I said, "Please, Sora."

Mitsuru and Sora shared a long glance with one another before they reluctantly let their grip on Daiki loosen before pulling away completely. Nonetheless, they still hovered closely, ready to restrain their teammate in case anything would happen. Yet, looking at the fourteen-year-old boy, it was evident that he had lost all his fire.

"Daiki." His name came from my lips softly, but he stared at me like he expected me to hit him. He flinched as I took a few steps closer so that we were only a meter apart, looking terrified.

The look in his eyes was heartbreaking.

"I know," I started, my voice still quiet, "that you hate me and want me to disappear. I know that you want me to die in a ditch somewhere. Maybe it'd make your life easier. It's hard to grow up, learning to loathe vampires and then having to work with one. It goes against everything that you think hunters stand for, but..." I shook my head. "It's not always that simple. It's not always that shallow and easy to understand." I paused for a moment and said, "You wanted to hurt me, right? I'm open. In fact..." I clutched the sword properly and brought the tip of it to my abdomen.

"Ivy?" Mitsuru whispered.

"No, _stop!_" Lettie screamed.

I pushed it in.

Time froze for a long moment as Daiki's eyes stared at the growing stain of red on my clothes, the blade that had penetrated through skin and muscle. He looked as pale as a ghost, but so did everyone else.

Pushing it in deeper for a moment before pulling it out swiftly, I ignored the pain and held the bloodstained blade out in between us. I blinked at him, asking him something that I already knew the answer to. "How satisfied do you feel now? Or is it not good enough, because you aren't the one who did it?"

The blood dripped from the tip of the blade down onto the floor, and my clothes were staining even more with every second. The material clung to my skin uncomfortably. My abdomen was flaring with pain, and I restrained a wince. Thankfully, the weapon was a mere human one, and I didn't push it in _that_ deeply.

I lowered my gaze from him to stare at the bloody katana. "I've been through worse than this. _Much_ worse. But I'm still here, I'm still breathing. I can deal. It hurts, but I don't think... that this hurts more than what your intentions were as you charged at me."

Daiki opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but I ended up shaking my head at him and cutting him off before he could speak. I looked at him straight in the eyes and murmured, "I'm sorry."

And in that precise moment, Hisako burst through the clearing with Gin and Trance, her eyes still watery and her face deathly white. Trance's face was hard, like always. Set in stone, nothing giving him away.

"What the fu—_udgesicles!_" Gin changed his sentence halfway through, any colour in his face draining away as he rushed over. "Are you okay? How deep is it? Dear god, we need to get you to the infirmary."

"I'm fine, Gin," I told him lightly, smiling with a roll of my eyes. "I did it to myself."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" The biting, glacial tone came from Trance. He stared at me through a narrowed emerald eye, his entire body tensed and rigid. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, and he looked like he was trying to kill me on the spot with just the expression on his face.

"I was... demonstrating somehow." I smiled sheepishly at my younger brother, staring at his collarbones because I couldn't meet his scathing gaze. I wanted to hand the katana to Gin, but before I could do so, he had whirled onto Daiki, his features calm yet clearly livid.

"What," Gin forced through gritted teeth, "do you think you're doing?"

"Gin, I—"

Before I could say more, another figure came from the left side, opposed to the trio that had come from the right. It surprised me to see that it wasn't just Zero, though—it was the five trainees in his group, too.

The silver-haired hunter's eyes immediately zoomed in on the enormous patch of red on my shirt before darting up to meet mine. "Tashiro, _what_—"

"Zero?" I asked in confusion, staring at him. I snapped my eyes away from his when I heard his students gasp and murmur, one of them shrieking loudly. I hid the sword behind my back, almost as if I was guilty of something, and forced a smile. "It's nothing! I'm totally okay!"

"_Shut up_," Trance spat out from clenched teeth and a locked jaw.

"Trance is right," Gin muttered as he shot me a dark look. "Get out of here, Ivy. Go to the infirmary and get your wound treated. _Now_."

Zero glanced at Daiki, then me, then settled on Gin. "You take her," he told the older man. "Trance and I will be enough here."

"Nothing happened," I insisted, but they all ignored me like I hadn't spoken. It wasn't a very convincing thing to say, I had to admit.

The oldest hunter here turned to look at Zero for a moment before nodding his head in a jerky motion. Gin looked down at me and sucked in a deep breath, shaking his head. Before I could say anything, he had scooped me up into his arms and began carrying me bridal style away from everyone.

Footsteps followed us, and Gin turned to see who it was. Upon realizing it was Lettie, who looked at him indignantly through her tears, he merely relaxed slightly and silently continued on his way. It didn't take long before Hisako followed, not wanting to see what would happen.

"I don't understand how you're not dying from the pain right now," Gin muttered in agitation under his breath.

"I'm a vampire," I reminded him cheerfully, beaming. "And one that has a Pureblood's blood making up seventy-percent of my blood count. Super regenerative abilities? I'm covered. Besides, it's really not as bad as it looks. I didn't hit it in that deep."

Gin was silent for a moment as he moved swiftly through the trees. It was only when the log cabin came into view again did he ask. "Why did you do it?"

Closing my eyes, I smiled gently and said, "Because now he gets it."

* * *

><p><strong>TRAINING CAMP—DAY FIVE<strong>

A tall figure sighs in exasperation, seeing that I was, indeed, outside on the rooftop at three-thirty in the morning.

"Why aren't you asleep?" I asked Nao as he sat down beside me, hands in his pockets because it was so cold.

"Why aren't _you_ in bed?" he snapped.

"Because I was stuck in bed all day," I immediately replied, frowning. Gin had refused to let me lead my team today, claiming that I needed to have a full day of rest in order to recover before taking up my role again. I had protested, but even my own team agreed that they'd rather have me rest.

So I was bound to my bed the entirety of the fifth day, even though they did something fun in the morning. They had gone out into the forest to collect edible plants for the night's campfire dinner, as well as get firewood for the fireplace. I mean, I still got to eat the food and sit around the campfire, but it was completely different from knowing that I had been a part of creating the entire thing.

Daiki hadn't been present during dinner.

I asked Gin about him, but the onyx-haired hunter gave me an extremely vague answer and began to change the subject. When he saw the look of concern on my face, he reassured me that it wasn't anything too horrible—they hadn't locked him up or anything even near that. Yet when I asked him for more details, he would just digress once more. I gave up eventually, knowing that I'd find out one way or another.

"It's your own fault," Nao retorted, his lips pressed into a thin line. His eyebrows drew together deeply. "Who purposely subjects themselves to that?"

"You do."

He snaps his head to look—glower—at me. Caution tainted the ice that permanently shielded him. "You're delusional now?"

Shaking my head at him slightly, I pulled my knees up closer to my chest, letting out a sharp, surprised inhale at the unexpected stab of pain in my abdomen at the action. I ignored it, wrapping my arms around my legs loosely. I rested my chin in between my knees, my eyes trained on the scene in front of me, though everything was so dark.

"The meetings," I stated simply. From beside me, Nao froze for a few heartbeats, his body tensed up like a spring about to be released.

Forcing himself to relax, he scoffed like it was no big deal. But it was. It always was. "Your point?"

"You don't let anyone else go," I mumbled, my lips slanting downwards at the corners. "And you don't let us go because you don't want us to go through hell with the other countries' Association Chairmen."

"I don't let you guys go because every single one of you has an eighty-nine percent chance of screwing things up royally, as you're all notorious for." His voice was wry, dry, but no matter how hard he tried, it was impossible for him to hide the underlying tone of a little white lie, the unspoken words that rang out between the ones he _had_ said.

"True." I let out a small, short chuckle that faded almost as fast as it came. The smile that had been on my face in those brief seconds crumbled and gave way to a slight downward tilt, a dark, deep seriousness wrapping itself around us.

A sigh escaped me nearly inaudibly, and I ended up leaning back against the palms of my hands, legs crossed and head tilted backward to stare up at the sky. The obsidian background no longer looked unwelcoming and foreboding with the bright twinkling of stars sprinkled perfectly across the entire expanse of the black ocean. The moon was a full sideways grin hanging in the middle of it all, but for some reason, it didn't seem to shine as brightly as the stars.

Silently, I continued to stare at the breathtaking, picture-perfect scene in front of me. It was magnificent and astonishing to extents that I could never even begin to describe with words. Being able to see the sky so bright and _alive_ was one of the best things I'd ever experienced at training camp, and the magic of it never seemed to wear off. It left me feeling so awed, so fascinated—it made me think that there were so many things out there in the world I had never seen, _would_ never see unless I kept living.

Maybe that was what it did.

My head tilted. "Or maybe it's because Junko is too kind and naive, too easily broken. Perhaps it's because Cheryl is too hotheaded, stubborn, and impulsive that things never turn in her favour, or because Al's nonchalant wit, melodramatic charm, insolence, and defiance immediately has them on the edge, wary and suspicious. Maybe it's because I _endeavour _to get under their skin, the atmosphere and relationships between them and I being intensely passive-aggressive."

Silence filled the air as I stopped speaking, allowing a pregnant pause to form. I had turned my head to slant my eyes to meet his straightforwardly. Neither one of us was smiling, neither one of us joking or taking it lightly. We knew just how important this was, how much it impacted us.

He looked at me with a deadpanned expression, nothing about his features or his eyes giving him away. The white-haired hunter was trying so desperately to conceal himself, attempting to distance himself once more.

But it would never work again—we were already engraved into his very being, as he was into ours.

"Maybe," I murmured, "it's because you're fighting so hard for us, trying so hard to protect us, that you'd do anything to make it better for us, regardless of what happened to you."

His eyes tightened just slightly, narrowed just faintly. Something flashed in his eyes, and I saw his jaw lock a bit more firmly. If I hadn't known him so well, I wouldn't have noticed, or I wouldn't have been able to interpret what all of that meant. But I _did_ know him inside and out.

So when he spoke, I wasn't surprised.

"Your arrogance is unbelievable," came his scathingly cold response. His crimson irises gleamed in the darkness of the night, the moonlight reflecting off of them. They were the same colour as the eyes vampires had when they drank blood, yet they were completely different. They were practically on the separate ends of the spectrum.

The corners of my lips twitched upwards. I tilted my head a bit as I scrutinized him carefully. "You know," I started softly, my gaze falling from his piercingly nonchalant eyes down to where the collar of his jacket wrapped around his neck, covering up the long scars. "We're not children anymore."

"Maybe not with technicalities," he retorted swiftly. "However, in terms of mentality and—"

"Nao," I interrupted quietly. I shut my eyes delicately for a moment, gathering my thoughts. When I opened them again, my eyes met his in a clouded, melancholic way. "You know, just as well as I do, that we aren't who we always portray ourselves to be. With all that we've been forced to go through, I'd say that we're all pretty mature, even _if_ Junko's sixteen and you're twenty-six."

"There's a ten year difference between Junko and I," Nao stated flatly. "It's impossible to compare our maturity—she might as well be a child still, at that age."

"But she's not," I retorted. "Just like how I'm not, like how Cheryl's not." I let my eyes fall back down to the space between us, staring at the material that lined the rooftop of the log cabin. "We know that all you want to do is protect us—we're family. We're part of each other in ways that are inexplicable. We'd do anything for each other. It's not like you're the only one who feels this way. It hurts us to know that you're taking on so much of everything all by yourself, when all we want to do is help. You're not alone. You're not the one who's responsible for us, for _anything_.

"We don't need you to be strong for us, Nao. The person that we need isn't a guardian angel or a knight. We need you to breakdown, to cry, to share your troubles with us and let us support you. All we need is the knowledge that you're going to be okay—that you're not going to shatter yourself and not be able to stand up again, with or without our help."

It took him a few minutes to respond. I stayed silent and let myself lie down onto the rooftop, placing an arm under my head to act as a pillow. Staring straight ahead at the stars, I felt my heart beating harder in my chest because it hurt. I felt like my throat was closing, like there were pricks hitting the back of my eyes. When I shut them, I saw EX5's faces painted on the back of my eyelids, as well as my family's.

Lydia. Satoshi. Arashi. _Trance. _Adding onto that would be Kaien. Yagari. Kaito.

"You're a hypocrite."

My eyelids didn't even flutter. Still seeing the faces of my beloved inside the darkness of my closed eyes, I felt warm, yet so cold. "How so?"

Nao's deep bass voice was always quiet, but it seemed extra silent this time. I could imagine him scowling at the sky, could see him staring at anything but me. "Out of all of us, you're the one who shoulders everything. You hide everything, thinking that nobody else notices. _You're_ the one who's always on the verge of falling apart at the seams and then being blown off into oblivion."

At that, I had to laugh a bit, even if it sounded off. My stomach clenched uncomfortably, something dark pooling in the pit of my gut. I couldn't put my finger on what that emotion was, though. I tried holding onto the bittersweet, hot-cold warmth that came with my little world of family for just a little while longer. "Is that how you see it?"

"We're not blind." There was a pause. "Frankly speaking, you're an idiot."

"You've called me that so many times," I mused aloud. There probably hadn't been a single day that went by with Nao that he hadn't called me that. Or a moron, or stupid. There was always something I did or something I said that he condemned.

"It's because I'm waiting for you to change that horrible characteristic," he said, a hint of exasperation lacing with his otherwise nonchalant voice.

"Not happening," I told him, trying to make my voice light. Knowing that stalling anymore wouldn't be of any help, I let out a soft sigh as I opened my eyes. In that second, even the stars seemed foreign. "It's not that I try to shoulder everything."

He let out an incredulous, irritated scoff. "Don't take me for a fool."

"I'm not," I defended, pursing my lips. "It's just—what is there to say? What exactly can you do? It's not as if I'm physically in pain. _I'm_ not the one who goes to those goddamn meetings and have them experiment on me. _I'm _not the one who's constantly putting my life on the line, every single day, for an organization that wanted to destroy us just a year ago. That's you. That's Al, Cheryl, Junko. I'm at Cross Academy, playing a game of school."

Nao didn't even miss a beat. He let out an angry sigh, slamming one of his clenched fists down onto the roof. The sound of impact was loud and echoing. I could feel the roof vibrating from the blow, and I turned to look at him, about to chide him for it—he could've broken the roof, or woken up anyone that was sleeping within—but the fierce solemnity in his dark eyes stopped the words from coming out of my mouth.

"What you did to yourself yesterday—wasn't it to prove to the kid that sometimes physical pain is nothing in comparison to emotional damage?"

I stared at him unwaveringly. My voice was steady as I said, "All of us go through the same kind of emotional and mental anguish."

"We all have different circumstances, different mindsets. Absolutely nothing is the same." His voice was cutting, biting. Cold as ice. "You've had it the worst out of each and every single one of us, and we all know it."

Heaving out an exhale, I slowly pushed myself up into an upright position, ignoring the ache in my heart and the feeling of something heavy pressing into my chest. Running a hand through my hair, I asked him quietly, "Why? Because my grandparents hate me? Because I lost my parents? Because, for whatever reason, he seems to favour me?"

His gaze could've burned holes into the side of my face. "No."

I blinked, feeling so exhausted and so tired. I felt like I could sleep for a millennia and it wouldn't be enough. I couldn't rest, because sleep brought back nightmares. It brought back the darkness of the past that I didn't want to think about. I normally would've taken time to ponder over what Nao meant, but this time, I merely asked him. "Then what is it?"

"It's what having them as grandparents _does_ to you. It's _how_ you lost your parents. It's _why_ he favours you. Numerous things accompany each, and with that, you get pulled under."

"I don't get what you mean," I admitted quietly.

"You're strong, Ivy," Nao murmured somberly. "But it seems as though that strength is what destroys you." He paused for a moment before confessing apathetically, "There are times when I question whether the strength that you possess is real, or whether it's merely a facade."

At that, I chuckled for a second and tilted my head. "How is that even possible?"

"Because there shouldn't be anyone who handles all that and isn't chipping away on the inside," he retorted.

Shutting my eyes again as emotions began to choke me, I struggled to keep myself together. The concern that was tucked and buried in the very depths of Nao's words, voice, tone—it was almost too much. There was so much to say, so much I wanted to express, but I felt like I couldn't do any of it. I couldn't say anything.

"We don't need you to be strong either, Ivy." Nao repeated my words from earlier. "You've done enough. It's time that you stop."

"I didn't do anything, though," I whispered. I squeezed my eyes shut more tightly. "I couldn't do anything for you guys at all. I feel like I just made everything worse. I always wonder if things would've been different if I didn't exist—would you guys still have undergone the same treatment, the same torture? Would you guys have still lost so many?"

His hand shot out to grab onto the collar of my jacket, startling me and causing my eyes to snap wide open. Nao was staring at me with an expression that was contorted in nothing but icy fury. The feeling of the collar of my jacket pressing so tightly against the back of my neck was uncomfortable, and the hand that had fisted the front of my clothes had snow white knuckles.

"You don't understand," he spat at me, livid. His ruby eyes had crystallized with misery and frustration, his lips twisting up into something that could've been a snarl. "Even after all this time, you don't have a single goddamn _clue_."

Something cold and unwanted washed through me as I stared straight at him. My eyebrows pulled together in confusion, and I found myself dropping my gaze. "What... don't I have a clue about, exactly?"

The white-haired hunter made a sound of disgust, shoving me away from him. I caught myself by planting my palms against the roof before I could topple over, mystified. A frown tugged at my lips as I stared, eyebrows knitted together, at the twenty-six-year-old vampire in front of me.

Refusing to meet my gaze, he seethed, "If you don't understand this, you don't even _deserve_—" he broke himself off, shaking his head furiously. His posture was incredibly rigid, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. I could see the veins in his neck bulging because he was so infuriated.

I observed him carefully, wrecking my mind trying to understand what in the world he was saying. Even though countless minutes passed, I couldn't conjure up an answer that made sense. My bewilderment and curiosity mixed together, bubbling inside me, but so did my frustration. I knew that even if I demanded an answer from him, Nao wouldn't present me with one. It was one of those things that I felt like I needed to find out on my own. I didn't know how long it'd take me, but I knew that it would take me a while to figure it out. I could only hope that when I did, things would make more sense—that I'd feel like I wasn't something that merely dragged them down and hurt them.

Minutes of hush dragged on, the night once again still and unmoving. I played with my fingers, staring down at my hands as I tried to sort out my thoughts again and prioritize everything once more. Nao stared straight ahead of him into the darkness of the trees and farmland. He was still emitting a dangerous aura, evidently still agitated and furious with me. I was surprised that he was still here—I knew that if I was Al instead, he would've already thrown a punch at the very least, or stomped off without a word.

But knowing that he was still here made my heart soften.

"Nao?" I broke the silence.

"_What_?" he growled.

"The next meeting—let us go instead." His head whipped to face me, his face twisted into one of disbelieving outrage and coldness, but upon seeing the look I had, his expression vanished and was replaced with a cautious, contemplative poker-face.

We stared at one another for a long, long moment, analyzing each other. I didn't know what he was looking for, but I knew that I was looking for some kind of resignation and security in him. I was searching for his trust, his assurance.

Eventually, he broke off our eye contact first. Attempting to cover up his emotions, he scoffed. "I don't care."

I found myself smiling fondly at him. "Thank you."

The two of us quieted once more, but it was a mutual, comfortable one. I scooted closer to him, and he didn't move away. Neither one of us had anything we wanted to stay—just being with one another was enough. For now, at the very least.

As the night wore on and finally began to fade away, the sun rising above the horizon, the tension had all but dissolved between us. No words were necessary as we watched the sun creep up over the horizon, sending plashes of brightness to light up the cool darkness of night.

And despite the silence, it didn't feel lonely.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

THAT'S THE END OF THIS CHAPTERRRRR! I don't know whether you can consider it dramatic or anything, but yeah. Hints are dropped here and there. YAY FOR HINTS!

Yeaaaah. OC craziness. HOHOHO. I'm sorry about that! -DIES- BUT I NEED TO MAKE MY OWN HUNTERS. T_T ( Can you tell I'm kinda sorta maybe perhaps just making up excuses? WAIT. WHATTTT? ;O! )

-SHEEPISH SMILE-

As always, I apologize for all grammar errors, spelling mistakes, and OOCness that might have occurred ( Zero got, like, two seconds... If I messed that up, I will cry. )

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**thecoldforest, Ficchii, Meatball-nii, Juliedoo, Tokine8696, rachel101448, Jade Starlight, luvJesusInHeavn, Fangirling Duck, Anemos, XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX, Sasame103, XxZuiliu, Lura Elsworth, Le Ava Bella, and SunnyDorangejuice**

Thank you guys so much for your lovely, amazing, wonderful reviews! I loved hearing your thoughts, and you guys have no idea how much I appreciate it. (x

Also, thank you to everyone that alerted and favouriteddddddddd!

RESPONSES! GOGOGO!

To **Ficchii**;

WHY HELLO. (x  
>Aww, thank you! I'm so flattered. And Kenta blushed at your comment. He stammers his thank you. (x<br>Dudeeee, you don't know how much that means to me. THAT'S SUCH AN AMAZING COMPLIMENT. ASDFGHJKL. I'm so touched and happy that you feel that way about my OCs. Thank you so much! And pfft, nah. Take your time. LOL. I've just been shoving OCs in everyone's faces. OTL. I feel apologetic.  
>LMAO. I'M SORRY. HE'S IN THIS ONE EVEN LESS. But I swear that there will DEFINITELY be more Zero and Ivy interaction, especially during the winter break arc after this one. I've got so many ideas in my mind. -DIES- SO PLEASE HANG ON JUST A LITTLE LONGER.<br>( But oh man, you have no idea how much I just want to write a scene where Zero kisses Ivy senseless. ASDFGHJKL. )  
>Oh, Daiki. DAIKI. I don't know what to say about him. LOL. And as for Trance, his interactions with Ivy will almost always be super short and there won't be a TON of them, but just enough to give you a sense and feel of their relationship, I guess. HOHOHO.<br>CHOCOLATES. YUM. -devours- (x  
>Thank you for always supporting me, Ficchii! I love reading your reviews, and I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapterrrrrr! (:<p>

To **Meatball-nii**;

HEY THERE. WELCOME ABOARDDDDDD! (x  
>Ohmy. -blushes- For a first review, you sure flattered me. LOL. YOUR COMPLIMENTS. I'm dyingggg. Thank you so much for your amazing compliments! I feel like you just inflated my ego so much that the next time I line up to get lunch or something, I'd just knock everyone out of my way. HAHA.<br>Actually, I tried to make all the characters different. HAHA. For each sort of group, like the Tashiro family and EX5 and the trainees in camp, I tried to make it so they all have some sort of distinction between them all. I wasn't quite sure how well that worked out, but I'm glad you think I did it nicely! I'm so happy to hear that! I also try not to revolve the story around just mainly Zero! I feel like even though it's a Zero fanfic, Ivy's just not the kind of person that would cling to him all the time. And it's not like everything that happens between Zero and Ivy is necessary to write about; sometimes, interactions with other characters are more important. (x  
>Ohmy. KENTA. I hope he makes his reappearance soon, but to be honest, I have no idea how long it'll be until we see him again. -SIGH- Kenta and Ivy dancing? Envy will be seeping out of many people. HAHA.<br>You've hit the nail on the head about the Daiki and narrow-minded thing! It's what I was trying to portray! Thank you for noticing!  
>NONO, it's fine! Trust me, I love long reviews and people who share their thoughts with me! And pfft, how could compliments bother me? LOL. I'm honestly very touched and grateful for your review, so thank you so much! I hope that you'll stick with me until the end and that I'll hear from you more often! I also hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia! ;D<p>

To **Juliedoo**;

TRAAAAAANCE. LOL. I, uh, hope that you'll still think that as you see more of them over the course of the upcoming chapters. -rubs back of neck sheepishly- BUT. That doesn't mean I don't agree with you. I adore Trance so much.  
>Yeah. Ivy's last couple of days just haven't been in her favour, but she tries not to let it get to her. Not that it's gonna work forever, but a girl's gotta try. XD<br>I don't THINK that Zero and Ivy are going to reconcile next chapter, BUT... I DO think that there's going to be some ZeroxIvy interaction, so look forward to that. (;  
>Agreed. Daiki was an asshole. But you know how it issss. (:<br>OHMYGOODNESS. LOOOOOOOL. YOU KNOW... I never even THOUGHT of Trance and Lettie getting together? O_O Like, I usually imagine my OCs and who I could see pairing up together in the future and all, but I've never once thought of Trettie. I think it's because I just couldn't imagine Trance with anyone. -DIES-  
>Thank you so much for your support, and for sharing your thoughts with me! I hope this chapter didn't disappoint and that you liked it! (x<p>

To **Tokine8696**;

I'm glad it made your day! -BEAMS-  
>Ohyes, definitely. I think that Ivy and Shiki MIGHT, at one point if it was an alternate universe or something, hook up just to test it out, but break up three days later going, "Okay, no, this is weird. We're meant to be soulfriends, not soulmates." And then they'd go back to being super close friends. LOL. But daaaaang, Kenta. ASDFGHJLK. I can't wait until he reappears. Honestly. -DIES-<br>There SHOULD be a ZeroxIvy moment in the next chapter! NO WORRIES. And girl, just you wait until the winter break arc. Ohmy. ALL THESE IDEAS.  
>Why thank youuu! I'm quite excited to see how things play out as well! I've already got it planned, but y'know. When you write, sometimes it goes off in a complete different direction and has a totally new mood. But nonetheless, I hope that I won't disappoint!<br>Thank you for your continuous supportttttt! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! (:

To **rachel101448**;

Thank you so much! I'm glad that you love it! It makes me feel proud and touched and all fuzzy on the inside.  
>It annoys me when the main protagonists fall in love too fast, but I think that's one of my downfalls; some people think I take the romance too slow and drag it out. -SHOT- I can totally see where they're coming from, though. But thank you! I'm very flattered! (x<br>Zero and Trance's history probably isn't as deep as what I accidentally made you guys believe. OTL. But there SHOULD be a ZeroxIvy moment in the next chapter, so I hope you look forward to it!  
>And PFFT. Nono. You've got it wrong. Thank YOUUUU for supporting me and reviewing! I hope that you enjoyed this latest chapter! (:<p>

To **Jade Starlight**;

You think sooo? Thank you! I'm not even sure if I'm doing this whole "hunters rules" and stuff right. I'm honestly just making it up and hoping that it makes sense to everyone else, too. LOL. A part of me hates how the actual VK manga never really goes into depth with hunter stuff. I would've liked learning about their traditions and stuff like that, but y'know. (x  
>Ivy and Trance talking... HMM. I'm not sure how often that will come up in this arc, but we'll see! And the thing about Daiki will be resolved in the next chapter, so I hope you look forward to it! PLUS a ZeroxIvy moment. Ohmy. ;D<br>LOOOOOOOL. YOU ARE SO RIGHT ABOUT THAT. Ivy's too focused on other people's love stories to care about her own. But then again, Ivy's never been in love before, so it'll all be a new experience. (:  
>Thank you for being so faithful to me, Jade Starlight! I'm always happy to hear from you! I hope that this chapter didn't disappoint. XP<p>

To **luvJesusInHeavn**;

ARE YOU? LOL. I'm glad! I was worrying that people would find the entire arc super boring and stupid. OTL.  
>And REALLY? I feel like having so many OCs just kills everyone's brain with having to memorize the characters to know who is who and what's going on. HAHA. And I feel like I don't have the actual VK cast around enough at all! OTL. I mean, when you take a look at Zero, he got a total of, like, seven seconds for this chapter and the previous one. -SHOTTT- MY APOLOGIES.<br>LOOOOL. Oh Daiki. I wonder what you think of him NOW, after this chapter. ASDFFGHJKL. He's a product of his environment, sadly. ):  
>WELL. Nothing like declaring their love for each other. HAHA. That's a long way coming. And ohmygoodness. I can't show Trance and Ivy's relationship yet. THAT WILL TAKE A WHILE, TOO. LOL. I'M SORRY. But I think that it'll be worth the wait. (:<br>And hohoho, thank you! I hope you had a great Singles' Awareness Day! - BEAMS-  
>Thank you so much for always supporting meeee! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! ;D<p>

To** Fangirling Duck**;

HAHA. Man, I don't even remember what I did on Valentine's Day. I think that I had school, I came home and watched anime, and then I think I finished writing the chapter, edited, and then updated. It's been too long. OTL. AT LEAST YOU GOT VALENTINESS. I was a lonely soul, but a content one. Sort of. ;D  
>LOL. Daiki's a confused child. -shakes head sadly- And pfft. Nao would've hit Daiki if he didn't think that Daiki was a waste of time. -SHOT- And Gin's just too nice. Zero's just sorta like, "What the hell is going on?" And he's not the type to hit others, so y'know how it is.<br>LMAOOO. NONO. YOU'RE NOT AN INSENSITIVE PERSON. No worries. It honestly IS pretty awkward. To be honest, just between you and me ( and everyone else that goes through these responses and reads them, though I doubt anyone does ) I think that some of the kids have been traumatized or scarred by that sight of Ivy breaking down. She seemed insane. -DIES-  
>Nope, no worries! I hope that you had an awesome time watching that! (:<br>Thank YOUUUU for always sharing your thoughts with me! I'm so grateful. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, too! ( Please don't murder Daiki. ;_; )

To **Anemos**;

HAHA, yeahhh. It'll really just sorta be the significant or the highlights of each day, and each chapter should have at least two days or more. Or at least that's what I'm planning. You know, when I look back on it, I feel like Riku and Shiki's relationship seems so rushed. I mean, it's only been a month or so since they've met. But yeah. Thank you for the faith! ;D  
>Yes, yes, and yes. HAHA. But it's also because by shoving everything down and suppressing it, SHE doesn't need to think about it, either. It's a lingering thought, but at least it's not always in her face, do you know what I mean? It's like Ivy trying to deceive herself, and she does this because she's so scared that if she just lets it all go, she'll be too broken to get fixed again.<br>Ivy and EX5's past WILL get revealed more as the chapters go on, but then again, there will be surprises all the way until the end of the story, so I hope you look forward to that! (x  
>The whole skepticism about EX5 being Level Ds was hinted about in this chapter. There are certain "meetings" that take place. More shall be revealed later! But yes, emotional stability does play a role in the concern about whether or not they'll remain as Level Ds for their entire lifespan or not.<br>Ohmy. I feel like after this chapter, everyone's going to hate on Daiki so badly. OTL. -DIES- HE'S JUST A PRODUCT OF HIS ENVIRONMENT. I'm actually feeling so sorry for him. Ever since I've posted the chapter up, everyone seems to dislike him and I feel bad for making him such a jerk. LOL. But I guess that's also kind of what I wanted. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING ANYMORE.  
>OH. OH. OHHHHHHHHH. ANEMOS. YOUUUU. YOUUUUUUUUU! I'm so excited. BUT I CAN'T SAY ANYTHING. YOU'VE CAUGHT ONTO SOMETHING THERE. The "who" for that will be revealed sometime during this arc, so I hope you look forward to it. But, you know, don't build your expectations too high. OTL.<br>You think she's tragic NOW? ASDFGHJKL. Just you wait. -shakes head-  
>Ivy's won over her group with the exception of Daiki by now. LOL. I mean, she's not best friends with them, but they all get along very well. (x<br>She's very jealous. LOL. She wants that kind of relationship with both of them. It's just that she doesn't know the entire picture yet. -sighs-  
>The thing is... Trance DOES know the reasons behind what Ivy's done. And that's why it's hard. For both of them. ASDFGHJKL. CAN'T. SAY. ANY. MORE. -DIESSSS-<br>Thank you for your lovely review as always, Anemos! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia! (x

To **XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX**;

Glad to be of help! HAHA. Thank YOU for reading! -BEAMS-  
>HAHA. Yessssssss. It's hard. My heart breaks all the time because sometimes I'm just too torn between certain couples. -SIGH-<br>Bleh. Transitions. I actually don't really like having fillers in my stories unless they're really short, and I can't do really short transitions. It never works. So I just... leave my crappy transitions and hope nobody notices. LOL. No worries, no worries. I'll work on it and hopefully it'll get better over time, but yeah... IT'S OKAY. -DIES- Thank you anyways, though. ;D  
>YES! I definitely agree with you on the Kaname thing. About how he'd walk off the edges of the earth for his lover. And how he'd hide everything painful from her. BUT THE THING ABOUT THAT IS THAT IVY WOULD HATE THAT. Like... If I had to give you the one aspect that completely destroys the KanamexIvy couple? It's that Kaname would hit a shitload of stuff from her, and Ivy would LOATHE him for it. She would feel so hurt and so betrayed. It would never work out. OTL.<br>And REALLY? To be honest, I hate the route that VK has gone. I hate how she erased his memories, but I feel like if she DIDN'T, I'd hate that, too. Each side has its pros and cons, and ASDFGHJLK. I just... why has it even come down to this? I don't... The latest chapters. ARGH. I'm so angry. Please. PLEASE MAKE IT STOP. -SOBS-  
>It's hard to choose between the two, I think. But I just. ;_; VK infuriates me to no end. I can't... the only reason I'm still reading it is because I need to know how it ends. I NEED to know. xD And I need to know how it built up to that ending, so... Here I am. -sigh-<br>LOL. OHMYGOODNESS, YESSSSSSS. That would be Aidou and Ivy's relationship. DEFINITELY. Like, if they were in a normal high school and stuff? Aidou and Ivy would be throwing insults and bickering the ENTIRE day, and then when the bell signaling the end of school would ring, Aidou would be the one at the classroom door saying, "Oi, Ivy, let's go! Hurry your ass up!" And he wouldn't leave until she was ready. Then he'd walk her home and hang out at her house and they'd argue more, but yeah. That would be their kind of relationship, for sure. XD Or, like, they would act like they hate each other. And the moment Ivy looks sad, he'd be the first one trying to make her laugh. xD  
>Thank you! That's kinda what I'm aiming for. To be honest, TrancexIvy moments will be short and few, but it should give you a pretty good idea what their relationship is like. That's my goal. ;D<br>HMM... I feel like that's so hard to answer, because I'm not actually sure. I'd like to think that no, my opinions on my OCs don't actually influence how I write my OCs. Because the thing is, when I write, the characters just sorta write themselves. Sometimes my chapters are totally different from what I planned because just what the characters say wouldn't match up with what I wanted. HAHA.  
>NO WORRIES. I'm the queen of late replies, for sure. -SHOT-<br>Thank you, as always, for your review and for sharing your thoughts with me! I'm so happy to hear from you all the time! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter as well! (:

To **Sasame103**;

HELLO! LOL. Congrats! I hate typing on the phone. Which is why I hate texting and all that jazz. The amount of typos just totally drives me insane when I text.  
>You think that a fauxhawk suits Kenta? REALLY? I felt like everyone would be objecting. xD<br>LOL. It's okay. My language is really foul too. I just try not to show it to you guys. -DIES- And cat ears and tails? Like... do they ACTUALLY have those? -is confused- I sorta understand where all the other supernatural things come from ( except for goddesses and these nekomimi things ) but... Does the fandom really overflow with this stuff? I haven't been keeping up with other stories. O_O ( I am totally guilty of having a sorceress in my other VK fanfic - SHOT SO HARD- )  
>OHMYGOD. I KNOWWWWWWWW. It's like, even if she gets together with Zero, she won't love him with her entire heart and after he's gone through, he deserves all the love from, like, TEN hearts. DAMN IT. D; I just. I loathe Yuuki so much. -SOBS- And I'm so angry with how VK has turned out, but I can't bring myself to drop it. ASDFGHJKL.<br>LOL, DID YOU? Trance and Ivy's interactions are always gonna be short and stiff, so you have an idea of how they're like but not be overwhelmed with it. And ARE YOU SERIOUS? LOOOOOOOL. NONO, it's not a worry if you picture my characters different or anything, but yeah. HAHA. Ivy's pretty short. ;O If I made a databook with my OCs, then Ivy's height in the book would probably be 152 cm. xD  
>GINNN. I'm glad you like him so much! I always have so much fun writing about him. And I hope you won't be disappointed. LOL. In Heterochromia, people don't understand how Lydia and Gin ever fell in love with each other. They make a surprising couple, everyone would say. xD<br>Aw man, it's not even a secret, really. LOL. The reason should be revealed at one point, but honestly, it's not even that big of a deal. Ivy doesn't hate Emi, though. She just doesn't like being around her because she knows that Emi hates her, so it makes her feel a tad bit uncomfortable.  
>HAHA, more Nao in this chapter! ;D<br>Thank you for your support and for sharing with me your thoughts! I hope this chapter didn't disappointttt!

To** XxZuiliu**;

Why thank youuuuu! (x  
>And who knows? ;D It's too early to tell, I think. Maybe there will be twists here and there. (x<br>Nah, it's fineeee. I can't expect long, deeply-thought-about reviews from my readers each and every time. HAHA. The fact that you even read what I wrote is good enough for me.  
>Ohmy. Trance and Ivy's interactions are always going to be brief, and there won't be a ton of them. You'll get a feel of how their relationship is, but I'm not gonna spend chapters on it until later on. However, more of Ivy's past will definitely be revealed in the fourteen days of camp. During the fourteen days of winter break, more family history will be revealed. I think. LOL. Or at least that's what I'm planning. -DIES-<br>Sorry, this update was actually kind of late!  
>Thank you so much for your support! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromiaaa! (:<p>

To **Le Ava Bella**;

I'm so glad you think so! HAHA. Thank you for the compliments! You're flattering me too much. -DIES- I'm honestly so happy that you like Ivy and think that she's real and relatable, though! That's what I was totally going for!  
>OHMYGOODNESS. GIRL. I HEAR YOU. I feel like I'm just shoving WAY too many OCs into the story, but at the same time, it's like... THERE ARE NO HUNTERS IN THE REALM OF VK. It feels like Kaito, Yagari, Kaien, Zero, and this one other dude are the five people that make up the entire Association. I CAN'T HAVE THAT. -SHOT-<br>BUT. I am VERY relieved to know that it didn't totally destroy your opinion on the story. HAHA. And I'm so glad you think all my OCs are great. That's so flatteringgg. I try. ;D  
>LOL. Girl, you're going to have to fight for Kenta. I think that everyone that's reading has some urge to snuggle up with him for a while. More Nao in this chapter, so I hope you liked it! ;D<br>And ohmygoodness. DID YOU JUST CALL ME A HESSELNEF? I can't. THAT'S SO WONDERFUL. LOL. YOU ARE AMAZING. -DIES- I love that... I keep saying it out loud. (x  
>Trance and Ivy WILL interact, but it'll just be briefly and all. Short glimpses into their broken relationship, y'know what I mean? And Daiki... Well. Daiki's... he's... I CAN'T SAY ANYTHING. -sigh-<br>Don't worry about it, but I AM holding that to you. The fact that you'll review again and "do a better job" even though you already did an amazing one. HAHA. But in all honesty, you don't need to worry about reviewing all the time. I'm just happy enough to know that you read my stuff. (x  
>Thank you so much for your amazingness! And for reviewing! And for reading! And I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter as well! ;D<p>

To **SunnyDorangejuice**;

WAIT, WHAT? LOOOOOOOL. NONO. I've never gotten below 90% when it comes to English. LOL. Except this year, which is shit, because grades are now important. -SIGH- DUDE. If I got over 90% in math, I would cry tears of joy. HONESTLY. ASGNAWOBNWEPB. I would just hug my teacher with snot all over my face and I would just do my victory dance in front of the whole class. You have no idea how badly I want over 90% in math. Someone just shoot me. I want to cry just thinking about how badly I'm doing. LOL.  
>And it's okay. IT'S OKAY. My English mark dropped ten percent first term. I dropped from a ninety to an eighty. PISSED ME OFF. But then I brought my mark back up, but y'know. Still. ANGER. ):<br>LOOOOOOOOOOL. THANK YOUUUUUUUU! I'm very happy to know that you love my writing and fanfics! I'm sorry about my horrible updating schedule! OTL. I'll definitely try to update more often. (:  
>Thank you so much for reviewinggggg! I hope that you liked the latest chapter. ;D<p>

END OF RESPONSES.

I always tell myself I need to stop these enormous, long walls of text that I have at the end of my author's notes because of my responses, but I never actually do it.

And IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, GUYS. BECAUSE YOU'RE ALL TOO AMAZING. ASDFGHJKL. WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME? -SOBS-

But it's okay. IT'S OKAY. BECAUSE I LOVE YOU GUYS. (x

Thank you to everyone who answered last chapter's question! This timeee...

**QUESTION: If Ivy and Yuuki got into an all-out fight of power, without the help of anyone else, who do you think would win and why? Would one surrender to the other? ALSO. You get to decide why they're fighting, and what they're fighting for. ( Try not to be biased. ;D )**

I'M HONESTLY SO CURIOUS. Guys, go wild with this question. ( I'm hoping someone says they're fighting over Zero. -DIES- And someone will say something like fighting over food. -SHOT- )

Share your thoughts with me through PM or reviewing or something! ;D

OKAY. SO. THERE WAS NO ZEROXIVY IN THIS CHAPTER, BUTTTTT. THERE SHOULD BE A MOMENT FOR THEM IN THE NEXT ONE. I will try super duper hard to update sometime early April. And by early, I mean EARLY. But again, no 100 percent promises. I'll try me best, though, so look forward to it! ;O

I'm sorry about this late update. ASDFGHJKL.

See you guys soooooooooooon! (x

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	22. Red Strings

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters. All rights belong solely to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N:**

So... -clears throat- I've been missing for a while. Even though Heterochromia is the ONE story that I promised myself I'd never fall back on for updating. And all I can say is that: I AM SO SORRY.

Life is so unexpected. I suddenly became so busy, and time flew by, and ASDFGHJKL. But rest assured that I've never forgotten about this story, or you guys, for the matter. So the moment I had the chance to write, BAM! I was on this chapter like a rabid dog.

Needless to say, you guys have NO idea how pissed off I've been with the latest VK chapters. The most recent one is not an exception.

Dying. DYING. I'm either emotionally dead and brain-fried while reading VK, unamused, or I'm so angry that I'm seething and burning things with my mind. A lot of the times, it's the latter.

ANYWAYS. Sorry about the late update once again, and I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter! ASDFAWENGOAWEB.

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO;**

_"Red Strings"_

* * *

><p><strong>TRAINING CAMP—DAY SIX<strong>

I sighed, changing into a new set of clothes. Even though I was freezing after spending the night out on the rooftop—I had been wearing a huge jacket, but it had still been so cold—I still dressed myself up in a pair of black sweats, along with an onyx t-shirt and an equally dark hoodie. Wearing bright colours wouldn't be efficient for today's event.

As I exited my room and began walking down the hallway, gathering all my hair to one side and then starting to braid the stands, I let my mind wander to the conversation with Nao, and then it somehow strayed to Daiki. I was hoping to see the topaz-eyed trainee today. It would be ridiculous if he missed today's simulation lesson—it would definitely be something that would help him in the future.

Entering the dining hall and kitchen just as I finished tying my loose and messy braid together, I let out a surprised noise as someone practically tackled me before grabbing my hand and dragging me off somewhere. I stared at Lettie's back, completely bewildered.

Digging my heels into the floor and forcing her to stop, I asked her, concerned and still dumbfounded, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," she muttered. The twelve-year-old blond shifted a bit, looking at something over my shoulder—she was taller than I was by at least two inches, something that I hadn't realized earlier—before her eyes widened and she began yanking at me again. "Come on, let's go. Let's get something to eat."

"What? I don't—" I looked over my shoulder, eyebrows furrowed as I tried to figure out what she had seen. It didn't take me too long to zero in on the figure walking toward us, light brown hair looking duller than usual and sun-kissed skin looking paler. Daiki's moves, usually swift and confident, seemed to be dominated with hesitance and uncertainty as he approached us. The moment his eyes met mine, he looked away, his expression falling.

"_Ivy_!" Lettie hissed, pulling harder. "Let's _go_."

Tearing my eyes away from the fourteen-year-old boy, I looked at her and smiled. "How about you go get something to eat and I'll catch up with you later?"

Her eyes widened. "No! What are you—"

"I'll be okay, I promise," I grinned, lightly shaking free of her grip. I turned away, clasping my hands behind my back and striding over to where Daiki stood, uncomfortable and fidgeting, a few feet away. I heard Lettie's protests behind me, but I ignored them and continued, stopping when I was just two feet away from him.

He looked like he was so scared, so ashamed. He opened his mouth, lifting his eyes to look at me, but upon making eye contact, his mouth shut again and his gaze immediately dropped.

"Good morning," I greeted, smiling brightly. "And where have _you_ been?" I didn't need to ask _how_ he'd been, because the way he carried himself and the expression that haunted his face told me everything that I needed to know. It made my heart hurt to see him like this—from what I knew, he was supposed to be bright and fierce. I couldn't help but wonder what had happened in just a few days that caused such a transformation.

"... Good morning." His voice faltered at the end, fraying. "I was—in my room..." Daiki spoke so quietly that I could barely hear him, even though I was right there.

Relief flooded through me, and I found myself letting out a sigh. I had been so worried that he was going through some kind of extra intense punishment or something. Gin had told me that Daiki was fine, but I didn't know if I could believe what the hunter said. After all, Gin was an oddball.

Rolling my eyes skyward, I mumbled, "I guess Gin _was_ telling the truth."

Daiki didn't know what to say that, so he merely shifted awkwardly, fidgeting with the hem of his dark brown sweater. He was staring down at the floor, a cape of unease, guilt, and remorse cladding him so thickly that I felt like he was almost smothered by it. I wanted to reach out and hug him, to tell him that I was all better and that it was okay, but I didn't.

Glancing around the room, I took notice of how many people had quieted down or stopped their conversations, eyes fixated on us. Sora was leaning against one of the walls, a scowl twisting his otherwise stoical features. His arms were folded across his chest, and through the strands of his hair that obscured his vision, his vivid blue eyes were scrutinizing the scene with wariness and distaste. Gin was watching blatantly, a small, knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his lips even though he tried to hide it. Trance had his back toward us, almost as if we didn't exist. I could imagine him with his closed eyes, biting on the apple I was sure he had in his hands. I wanted to sigh as my eyes lingered on the Tashiro's back.

Accidentally, my eyes caught Zero's and I almost took a step back at the sharpness that they held. The usual scowl adorned his handsome features, but his eyes seemed tighter. They were bright with alertness, like his senses were heightened for whatever reason. His lips tugged downwards deeper as I blinked at him. I wanted to wave, to smile, to do anything, but then I remembered that we still hadn't spoken since that rant I had spat at him. I found myself looking away guiltily.

I really needed to fix that.

But before that, I had something else I needed to take care of.

Resting my eyes back on the camper in front of me, I suggested lightly, "Take a walk with me, Daiki?" I didn't let him respond as I swiveled on my heels and began walking away toward the nearest exit. It took him a while, but I soon heard his soft footsteps dragging along after mine.

Grabbing our coats off the hanging rack, I tossed him his and slipped on mine, along with my boots. The moment I opened up the door, the cold bit at me mercilessly, making me frown and shiver, pulling my trench coat closer to my body. It was getting so cold that every time the wind swept by, it seemed to burn my eyes.

I stopped once I reached the spot that everyone had been gathered around last night for the outdoor dinner—the place that had a campfire pit with logs situated in a hexagon around it. I sat down on one and patted the seat next to me, urging him to sit too.

He did. Hesitantly, warily and on the opposite end of the natural seat.

When he didn't say anything after five minutes of silence, I decided that I should probably start off first. The entire five minutes, he had been opening and closing his mouth a million times, always looking like he was about to vomit out words, but never being able to. He would scowl at himself in frustration, running his hands through his hair again and again. It was entertaining to watch, but I knew he was being really hard on himself.

All he needed was a little push to get him going.

"So?" I broke the silence. He jolted, clearly surprised that I had spoken. He snapped his gaze toward me, and I met his eyes. A teasing smile was on my face and my eyebrows were raised as I said, "There's no way that being stuck in your room could've been better than training."

Confusion tainted his gold eyes, and his hands clenched into fists. "I..." he paused for a moment, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath. "I had been reflecting."

"About what happened?"

"Yes," he confirmed quietly, the remorse invading his voice. "I...I never realized that it—that you and—I-I just wasn't..." He stopped, a scowl painting itself on his face again. Sorting out his thoughts as he spoke, he started again slowly, "I thought about what you said. About what you did. I—when you looked at me as I was charging at you..."

I smiled slightly, knowing where he was getting at. "It's just different, right? Everything you are—your entire _life_ is based on the philosophy that hunters are meant to exterminate vampires. I'm not surprised that you hate me. In fact, I'm surprised that you didn't try killing me on the first day."

He nodded almost reluctantly at my words. Eyes downcast, he admitted, "I wanted to. I thought about it; all the different ways I could get something through your—" he broke his sentence off, letting out a shuddering breath that I didn't even know he'd been holding in.

"It's understandable, you know," I reassured him softly. "It's not like it's your fault that you grew up thinking this way. If I wasn't a vampire, I'd probably think the same thing."

Daiki shook his head this time, fists tightening. "No. No, you wouldn't. You're not—you're not _like_ me. You're too nice. I had been heading straight toward you with a sword in my hands, about to stab you to death, and you didn't even _move_!" He stood up in outrage, ending his sentence in a frustrated yell.

Somewhat surprised at his outburst, I stared up at him with a startled expression on my face. At first, I thought he was angry at me, but upon closer inspection, I realized that he was just furious with _himself_. His tense body trembled, and his expression was one that was mixed with so many emotions that it confused him.

"I could have _killed_ you!" he exclaimed, his face paling slightly at the thought. The words seemed to be choked out of his mouth. "That sword could have actually pierced you through the heart and you would have _died_, and nothing would've been able to bring you back!"

"But you didn't." The look on his face as he heard my words made it seem as if I had slapped him in the face. I smiled at him, stretching my legs out in front of me and resting my hands along the edge of the log. "You _could've_ done it, but you _didn't_. That's what matters."

"I-I _would've_," he whispered, his shoulders slumping. The anger seemed to have evaporated from him. It was like the guilt ate at everything that wasn't sorrow. Body still quaking, he told me, "In that moment... In that moment, all I wanted was to see you dead. All I wanted was to see your pile of dust as you perished."

"And now?"

"A-And now—I..." he struggled with his words once more. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat, like he had just noticed he was shaking and didn't want me to see. "I... I don't—" he swallowed loudly, forcing his eyes to drag up to meet mine. "I'm sorry."

I quirked an eyebrow at him. "Why?"

"I... don't know anything about you," he said quietly, eyes fluttering away again. "Even though you're a vampire, I should've known that you were different. You didn't do anything to me, didn't do anything _wrong_, but I still treated you like scum. I didn't think about anything—not about how you felt, or who you really _are_, or anything like that. I didn't even _try_ to think about your side." Quietly spoken, Daiki's voice was laced with so much emotion and so much sincerity that it made my heart squeeze in my chest and warmth tingle my blood as it flowed through my system.

He understood. He had reflected and pondered and beat himself up over something he had done. He had _grown_, matured, expanded his mind. I couldn't help but feel so proud of him, so happy for him. It was like watching a flower bud in spring slowly begin to unfurl and bloom. The only problem was that he wasn't smiling.

"I'm not angry," I told him, lips still pulled upwards. "I never was."

"You're... _forgiving _me?" I didn't know why he sounded so surprised, so incredulous. There was even a bit of agitation and horror mixed into his words. Wide-eyed, he stared at me with his mouth open.

Although I was a bit confused, I masked it and said, "I can't forgive you if there was nothing to really forgive in the first place."

"Yes there is!" he objected fiercely, taking me aback. Did he _want_ me to be angry with him? "I disrespected you, hated you, tried to kill you—how can you say that there's nothing to forgive? Are you crazy?!"

"All those things were based on a perspective that you were born into," I pointed out to him. My eyebrows furrowed together as I met his infuriated eyes. "What, do you _want_ me to be angry with you?"

"_Something_ would be nice!" he exclaimed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Yell at me, hate me, _hit_ me! I don't care, just as long as it's anything other than—other than—_this_." He gestured wildly, flailing his hand.

"I don't—_what_?"

"Come at me!" It sounded like a demand, and he lifted his chin in preparation. His gaze, which had been so hesitant and meek before, seemed to blaze once more. Ignition had begun. "Hit me with all you've got—I swear that I'll take it."

Bewildered, I could only stare at him with wide eyes for a moment longer before my eyes softened and understanding dawned on me. It was amusing, really, to see him so fired up about something like this. It was like he was _unsatisfied_ with my reaction toward him. I loved how he wanted me to get even with him, almost like it would make me feel better if I did. He had probably gone through something similar before, though the situation was a bit different. I had no doubt in my mind that, back then, he actually _did_ get hit by the other party. I almost wanted to laugh at the thought.

Standing up from the log, I closed the distance between us until I was a foot away. He flinched just the slightest bit as I approached, but he immediately recomposed himself and stared at me straight-on, anticipation on his face. Daiki looked like he was steeling himself for the worst punch he'd ever felt in his lifetime. His entire body was tense, his jaw locked tightly and his eyebrows knotting so firmly over his eyes that they almost formed a straight line.

We stared at one another for a while, grave and still. He was only fourteen, and while he wasn't the most mature teenage boy I'd met—I'd say that Trance acted like a twenty-two-year-old man—but he had so much potential, so much room to grow even more. Looking at him, I could practically see him ten years from now, well-respected and an amazing hunter. We hadn't spent much time together, yet I had grown fond of him already. It was an odd affection, almost like he was a cousin or a nephew. It was a feeling that had flourished with the other kids in my small little group, too.

Instead of hitting him, I reached out and pulled him into an embrace. He let out a surprised noise, stiffening and freezing on the spot. I felt the surprise rolling off of him in waves, and I laughed into his shoulder.

"Uh... W-What do I do?" That was his ingenious response.

"Well, generally people hug the other person back," I teased, the smile in my voice. I could feel the warmth from him, hear his heartbeat.

"I—okay?" Sounding incredibly confused, he hesitantly, slowly, put his arms around me too. His reaction to my embrace made me want to roll my eyes good-naturedly. How did he turn from being confident and firm to awkward and timid in a second?

After a certain amount of time had ticked by, we pulled ourselves away, my lips slanting upwards as I looked at him. He stared at me for a moment before shaking his head and rolling his eyes, letting them fall onto my abdomen.

Daiki gestured to it, guilt flooding his features again. "How much does it hurt?"

"Not much," I told him honestly, beaming. "It was a normal human weapon, and I have good regenerative abilities. It's practically all healed—it seriously wasn't as bad as it looked."

"Ivy, I'm so—"

"Let's start over, okay?" I grinned, interrupting his apology. "You know what you did was wrong, and you've changed. That's more than I could ask for—it's enough for me. I'm happy, I'm okay, it's all absolutely fine. You can stop looking at me with that expression, Daiki. The kind of expression that you'd give someone when you accidentally kicked their dog or something."

He gazed at me incredulously for another moment before saying, "You're way too weird."

I merely threw an arm around his shoulder and began marching back to the cabin. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Seriously, do you know how long it took you to get the words out of your mouth?"

"You're using that _against_ me?" he demanded, sounding appalled and just a tad bit flustered. The topaz-eyed hunter-to-be began to struggle against my hold, attempting to shake me off.

I laughed, tightening my grip on him. "It's okay, it's okay! It was cute!"

Horror decorated his voice as he said, "You did _not_ just call me such a degrading word!"

"What's wrong with being called cute?" I raised my eyebrows at him, laughing as he continued to struggle against my hold. My mind flashed to a certain Day Class student, and I found myself musing out loud, "A friend of mine hates being called that, too."

"Any guy would be!" Daiki exclaimed, scowling. "You clearly don't understand what hurts men's pride!"

As we approached the cabin, I was surprised to see a figure sitting on the steps that led to the front door. His elbows resting on his knees and his fingers laced together, a certain blue-eyed brunette had his chin placed on top of his fingers patiently. He had been staring out at the path that led to the cabin, undoubtedly waiting. I couldn't help but feel my heart burst with warmth and a smile cross my features as I saw him stand up, his body relaxing upon seeing that nothing had gone wrong.

"Sora," Daiki greeted as we neared him. He sounded less confident, just a little bit deflated. When I glanced over at him in curiosity, I saw the look of guilt on his face again.

"It worked out." It was stated, not asked. Sora rested his intense, piercing gaze on Daiki, tension running high for a moment before it disappeared with a sigh. "Finally."

"Thank you for worrying, Sora," I beamed brightly at him, feeling lighter. After breaking through to Daiki, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I threw my other arm around Sora, teasing, "It's cute of you to worry."

Sora stiffened for a moment before forcing out through gritted teeth, "I was _not_ worried." His face flushed slightly, and he growled, "Let go of me."

"I already told you that guys don't like being called 'cute'!" Daiki immediately scolded, struggling futilely again.

And that was how we returned to where everyone was gathered—arms thrown around one another's shoulders, arguing and laughing.

* * *

><p>"Today we're going to be doing simulations," Gin informed everyone that had gathered outside. "Everyone will be split into three groups of ten—each group will have two instructors. In your group, you will decide which four are going to be the hunters. The other six will be regular humans that the four hunters will have to protect. The instructors will be acting as vampires of any level ranging from Level E to Level B. With all that you've learned, you guys will need to get everyone—hunter or not—back to the cabin."<p>

"How will we know whether someone 'died' or not?" A feminine voiced asked, raising a hand. It connected to a girl with wavy black hair that fell to her mid-back, her bangs long and blending in with the rest of her hair. She had doe-like crimson eyes that seemed a bit dull. I recognized her as Jihara Akahana, a thirteen-year-old that was in Zero's group.

"Oh, trust me, you'll be able to tell when you got 'killed' or not," Gin replied, grinning at them mysteriously. Some paled a bit, and some shifted uncomfortably. "The three groups will be entering different parts of the surrounding forest. We've already randomly selected ten people for a group, but we didn't pick who'd play which role. After you guys decide, feel free to go and grab the human weapons that you're familiar with—the instructors will remain barehanded. Questions?" When nobody raised their hands, Gin looked down at the clipboard he was holding and began to call out the groups.

I ended up paired with Emi, something that I hadn't been expecting at all. Our group of ten was actually pretty well-rounded, although it didn't quite matter since six of them wouldn't really be doing anything. For the four hunters, Sora had gotten dragged into it. Although he was reluctant and displeased, he didn't protest.

Emi and I didn't speak as we brought our group out to the area we were meant to start out at. It was understandable, considering the fact that she didn't like me at all. In fact, she seemed to hate me even more than before now. I had no idea what I had done, but that was definitely the case. She had been glowering at me out of the corner of her eyes the entire morning. On normal days, I would've said something to start conversation—or provoke her, not that anybody really had to know—but I was too preoccupied with talking to Sora and Mitsuru that I couldn't even bother.

After we explained things in more detail once we reached our destination, we told them they had five minutes to sort out their supposed strategy as Emi and I dispersed into the forest, concealing ourselves so that they had no idea where we were. When the five minutes was up, they began moving cautiously yet quickly through the woods, acting as one entity very well.

Emi had been the first one to attack—she didn't even bother being nice. She had practically tackled one of the hunters to the ground, "stabbing" him in the chest. In reality, all she did was smear the red icing she had covered her hand with all over him. Afterward, she lunged at a human, "killing" him too. She was just about to go for another when Sora began his counterattack.

I jumped in at that point, pulling him off of her. Before any of them could attack, I grabbed Emi's arm and, in mutual agreement, we jumped into the thick patches of forest once more. This happened a few times, but after that first ambush, they stayed on guard much better. I could hear them speaking, and it amused me when the people that had "died" either complained about the red icing or began to eat it.

Our group was the second one to make it back to the cabin, just a minute after Zero and Gin's clique. Their group lost three hunters and two humans, while Emi and mine lost four humans and two hunters. When Trance and Nao's group stumbled into the cabin, all four hunters had been completely smeared in red icing, as were five humans. The one human that remained alive looked absolutely terrified. Everyone had roared with laughter upon seeing them enter the room, looking ashamed and dejected. _They_ looked outraged upon realizing Trance and Nao hadn't gone easy on them, but they ended up laughing along with the rest of us.

I couldn't help but grin widely at Trance when our eyes accidentally caught, even though his response was to turn away from me immediately.

We ended up doing simulations for the entire morning, switching up groups and instructors. Somehow, Zero and I never paired up. It was strange, because before, it felt like fate always somehow managed to string us together. This time, though, it was as if fate was purposely pushing us away.

I didn't get it.

After we ate lunch, we all decided on playing games for the rest of the day as a break and reward for the hard work the past few days. We knew that they were as sore as hell—we had been through the same experience before, and there were _always_ rest days where it was more directed at exercising, but having fun while doing it.

Using democracy and compromises, we ended up agreeing to play a three-team game of capture the flag, followed by games of chain tag, as well as freeze hide-and-go-seek tag. It was hilarious and fun. I had almost forgotten how incredibly fun those games could be, as long as you were playing them with the right people.

I laughed like there was nothing to worry about.

* * *

><p><strong>TRAINING CAMP—DAY SEVEN<strong>

"Today's sparring will be a bit different," Gin announced at the same clearing as before. "This time..." he opened up one of the chests he had been carrying, pulling out an axe and throwing it up into the air. It spun and spun, falling straight into his hand. "You'll get to use weapons. Of course, to balance it out, the instructors will also get to use their weapons, too. The objective this time isn't to untie or cut the string off, it's to actually land a hit."

Murmurs broke out between all of them, looks of concern and horror among them. Daiki looked unfazed, as did Sora. They probably already knew what that meant. Some of the others also seemed be at ease, knowing that there was surely no way we'd let them get hurt during training camp.

In order to calm everyone's worries, Gin hushed them and explained, "You don't need to worry about hurting any of the instructors. All the clothes that we're wearing right now might _look_ like normal clothing, but in reality, there are layers of interlaced steel inside the material. It's armour, and trust me, human weapons are unlikely to break them. I'm not saying it won't _hurt_, but unless you aim for the head, we're not going to do anything other than bruise. And for those of you who are worried about getting chopped up by _us_, no need to fret. We'll all be using our anti-vampire weapons, and I'm sure that you're all aware that anti-vampire weapons won't harm humans." Already knowing that it wouldn't be enough to ease their fears, Gin further reassured them by saying, "Allow me to demonstrate."

Gin's light chocolate eyes swept across the leaders, and he eventually let his eyes settle on me. He silently asked if I felt comfortable with it, and I merely shrugged as a response. He rolled his eyes and said, "Ivy, c'mere."

Manoeuvring my way between the teens toward where Gin stood in front of everyone, I stopped just a few feet away from him, staring at him with my hands in the pockets of my trench coat. I exhaled and watched the air immediately turn to white vapour, a smile tugging at my lips in amusement.

"You guys should be excited, y'know," Gin told the teens. "I mean, you guys get to see all of our actual anti-vampire weapons, and if I must say, they're all pretty damn cool. But that aside, Ivy's going to pull out her anti-vampire weapon and then try to slice at me with it. It won't hurt at all—you'll see the weapons' insignia glowing where she pierced my body, but it won't mean anything. Rest assured, I'm going to be completely fine. Watch carefully now." Gin then turned to me, raising his eyebrows and grinning. He slipped his hands into the pockets of his sweats casually.

Breaking the small scythe charm off of the bracelet, I felt Rixelvelt form and fit smoothly into the palms of my hands. I heard surprised gasps, whispers, and exclamations, but I stared at Gin, wondering if he was sure.

He smiled at me in encouragement, eyebrows still raised and eyes sparkling like he was asking me if I was chicken.

I rolled my eyes at him, tightening my hold on Rixelvelt. Even though I _knew_ that it wouldn't hurt him, wouldn't do anything to him, I still felt a bit tentative and reluctant to actually hit him with her. It made me feel slightly uneasy, despite logically knowing it wasn't possible for her to harm him.

"Any time now," Gin drawled.

Refusing to doubt myself, I inhaled deeply and exhaled a puff of white before twirling Rixelvelt in my hands as I stepped closer to him. When I stopped, Rixelvelt's main blade was curved around Gin's neck, the tip of it barely missing the skin there. He didn't even flinch, merely meeting my eyes with a wide grin.

Scowling a bit, I shifted my hands, moving Rixelvelt down to one of his ankles before swiping her past him. Immediately, her silver-white crest glowed fiercely for a few seconds before dimming and fading. When I looked up at Gin again, his lips were still pulled upwards widely.

"You," he started, "are a _total _wimp."

I laughed at that, knowing he was right. I elbowed him in the stomach. "Shut up."

Beaming, the onyx-haired hunter turned to the wide-eyed trainees and stuck out the leg I had Rixelvelt pass through. "See. I'm totally fine. It's not a trick or anything—it really just doesn't hurt humans. The glowing emblem doesn't hurt, either, so no worries. Any of you guys have any questions or are still too scared?" His eyes scanned the crowd, but none of them said anything or raised their hands.

Satisfied, Gin nodded and stated, "The instructors will still have that cloth tying them together to make it easier for you guys. Are there any volunteers this time around, too?"

Daiki and Lettie immediately raised their hands, but Gin rolled his eyes and told them to let other people go first. He ended up picking two others this time, whom chose Gin and Emi to be the first ones up.

The moment the spar started, it was obvious that they had gotten much better. Not only that, but they knew that they had a higher chance of winning if they worked together and cooperated, so that was exactly what they did.

Observing the reactions to everyone's anti-vampire weapons was truly entertaining. They all "ooh"ed and "ahh"ed at the differences, and at the crests. They all looked so stunned and captivated, so entranced. They all focused on the battle intently, unable to look away. Half the time, they looked like they were struggling to not even blink. I couldn't help but wonder how they'd react once they managed to find their very _own_ weapon.

It was on the third round that someone decided to call me out. I raised my eyebrows, recognizing the familiar voice, and shook my head as I stood up. Rixelvelt had remained in her unrestricted form, since I didn't see a point in putting her away if I just had to bring her out again a few minutes later.

Zero stood in the middle of the ring with the two trainees, already tying the thick, sturdy white cloth to his wrist. I felt my heart thud a bit harder in my chest upon realizing that this would be the first time we partnered up for sparring—since fate had tried her best to keep us apart, we had never been challenged together—and I wondered how well we'd do. I wasn't as concerned as I was when I'd been partnered up with Trance though, because Zero and I had worked together during the rebellion. We had been forced to work together for days, and I was sure that we knew each other's abilities and fighting style quite well.

Nonetheless, the fact that I had said such things to him... I wanted to wince at the memory.

When I reached them, Zero silently handed me the other end of the white cloth. I thanked him quietly and tied it onto my wrist, feeling a bit too tentative to meet his eyes.

"Are you ready?" Daiki asked me, confidence in his voice. "I'm going to beat you this time, Ivy."

"Why do my own group members like to fight me so much?" I muttered, glancing up at the two brunettes.

"It was a mutual agreement between Sora and I that we wanted to fight you and Zero," Daiki notified us, his eyes meeting the younger boy's. They shared a look of understanding before Daiki smirked, meeting my gaze head-on. "We're _definitely_ going to win this time."

"Don't go easy on us." Sora's intense eyes stared hard at me first before darting over to look up at the taller silver-haired hunter that stood next to me.

"Don't underestimate us," I chided lightly, clasping my hands together behind my back, along with Rixelvelt. I beamed at them and said, "If we were serious, you guys would be burnt toast."

"_You_ don't underestimate _us_," Daiki scoffed, rolling his eyes. But he grinned at me, and it was clear that everything was lighthearted trash-talk. I knew that I wasn't supposed to promote such things, but then again, it wasn't as if anyone was here to witness it. I was sure that everyone at camp did it, too. It was just a way to make things more entertaining, more fun. We all knew not to take it to heart.

"We'll see." I mirrored his expression. Glancing at them, I took notice that the weapons that they had chosen were the ones that they wanted to have when they passed the test. For Daiki, he had a large, elegant bow made out of mahogany in one hand, a quiver full of arrows slung over his shoulder. As for Sora, he held a long, traditional katana in his right hand, a short dagger in his left. Both blades gleamed when the sun hit them, the edges sharp and unyielding.

Both weapons were unusual, although Sora's was admittedly more unique. Bows and arrows were uncommon, but not rare. Sora's odd combination was hardly ever seen, similar to Trance's katars, and as far as I knew, my younger brother was the only person who had ever used katars. When he had first asked the weapon smith for them, the middle-aged man merely stared at him in confusion.

Trance ended up designing and physically _creating_ his katars, Kaveil and Saldius, by himself with just minor guidance.

Of course, Sora's combination wasn't scarce to that extent, but it was close. Dual weapons themselves weren't _rare_, but I had only seen one other person use a sword and a dagger together, and that had been when I was much, much younger. I didn't remember who it was anymore.

Gin's voice ringing throughout the clearing brought me back down to earth. "Ready, set... _go!_"

Focusing on the battle, I expected some kind of charge. Instead, Sora stood in front of both Zero and I as Daiki ran for the edge of the clearing. His motive hit both Zero and I at the same time, and immediately, Zero pulled Bloody Rose out from his trench coat. At the same time, Sora lunged at the silver-haired hunter.

Although I was a bit impressed, I didn't let it delay my reaction time. I placed myself in between the two, effectively blocking Sora's attack. For a moment, we both pushed against one another, trying to gain leverage. It was unfair for Sora, however, because even though I was a girl, I still had the inhumane strength that came with being a vampire. Losing the little power struggle, Sora skidded back, his shoes creating an indented trail on the frosted grass.

From behind me, Zero shot. I saw the bullet zooming toward where Daiki was, but as if sensing the bullet, he managed to barely dodge it. Unfazed—I was sure that he wasn't even attempting to aim properly—Zero continued to shoot. There was no way we'd let the battle end so quickly. The entire purpose was to see how much they had improved, and if we got them out within the first ten seconds, that defeated the entire purpose.

Sora didn't hesitate. He had barely forced himself to stop before he pushed off, heading for me once more. This time, in order to allow myself more room, I met him halfway. The sound of our weapons clashing against one another rang loudly through the clearing, Bloody Rose's shots accompanying the ringing metal.

Not looking for another struggle for power advantage, I immediately pulled Rixelvelt away and swung at his abdomen. The thirteen-year-old hunter ducked, barely missing the blade of the scythe as it passed through the top of his head, and attempted to knock my feet out from under me, but I jumped out of harm's way and aimed downward at him.

Looking as if he anticipated it, Sora rolled sideways and avoided it before getting back up onto his feet quickly, not wasting a second as he slashed at me with his katana. I blocked the blow easily with Rixelvelt, an ear-shattering squeal occurring as I shifted her to block the dagger that he had aimed at my stomach.

The next thing that Sora did was pull one of his legs back and prepare to kick at me. I raised one of my eyebrows at him, forcefully pushing him back the moment he was on one foot. Losing his balance, he began to fall backwards. His arm shot out, and he managed to do a backward flip rather than hit his head on the floor.

He scowled at me. "Are all vampires that strong?"

"Physically?" I grinned wryly at him. "Some are _much_ stronger."

"Huh," was his noncommittal response. Then he came at me again, but just before he reached me, he bent down, legs tensing and muscles locking. I found him soaring over my head, aiming for Zero instead. Immediately, I yanked onto the white fabric roughly. I had pulled on the white fabric with more strength than I had anticipated, which sent Zero crashing into me just as Sora swiped at where Zero had just been.

"Sorry!" I breathed, my eyes wide as I stared at the silver-haired hunter's chest. I hadn't meant for this happen, and I was too nervous to look up at him to see the expression on his face. My arms had wrapped around his waist immediately when he crashed into me, just as how his wrapped around my shoulders. It was an instinct, and it helped to steady him and keep him from toppling over. I was sure it was the same for him. Yet, for some reason, I felt like it was just an excuse.

Before I had more time to dwell on it, Zero swiveled us around, extending an arm to shoot Bloody Rose. I looked over my shoulder just in time to see the bullet hitting the arrow head-on, deflecting it off course from us.

Seeing Sora head towards us, I released my hold on Zero, ducking under his arm and swinging Rixelvelt, sending her crashing against his katana. I tried not to get distracted by the thought of instantaneously missing the warmth that Zero had provided, or the way I could feel the lean muscles of his chest and the firmness in which he had kept me to him. Shaking my head profusely, I frowned and concentrated, meeting the equally determined and calculating gaze of the brunette in front of me.

For the next few seconds, the two of us clashed weapons, neither one of us gaining the advantage. I side-stepped and swung, making him also move to the side to dodge. He sliced his dagger down toward me, but I jumped back before lunging at him, making him dodge sideways and attempt to stab me as I passed. I shifted Rixelvelt, the point of his katana hitting her dead-center in the shaft, and then skidded to a stop, whirling around to face him.

A bullet whizzed past me toward Sora, who immediately dodged, and the sound of an arrow cutting through air reached my ears. I was just about to evade it, but Sora came at me again, forcing me to block first. I looked briefly behind my shoulder at Zero, who met my gaze knowingly, and I turned back to Sora. Before he could even blink, I had switched Rixelvelt's position and locked his weapons with mine, creating enough leverage for me to push myself upright and cartwheel over the brunette. The arrow slammed into the ground in front of him, and Zero shot Bloody Rose straight at the blue-eyed trainee.

Sora deflected the bullets that Zero shot at him, but the amethyst-eyed vampire was pressuring him so much that he wasn't able to concentrate on me. Kicking his legs out from under him, sending the boy toppling onto the floor, I prepared to end it, but a shower of arrows came out from the trees on the side of the clearing we were closest to.

Changing what I meant to do, I pivoted and twirled Rixelvelt, blocking and deflecting all the arrows that had been shot. I saw from the corner of my eye Sora getting up and charging at Zero, and as a result, I prepared to head back to them. Yet, just when I thought that the barrage of arrows had stopped, another one flew at me. Biting down on my lower lip to hide a smile, I back-flipped and avoided them, skidding back and whirling around.

I was extremely aware when I heard a pair of feet thud against the ground, which came with clatters of arrows and a barely audible grunt. Footsteps were heard, and then Zero propelled the momentum of Sora and his weapons to the side, recovering faster than the brunette and aiming at Daiki.

Reaching Sora at the time, he and I clashed once more, both of us altering again and again from offense to defense. But at one particular point, Sora glanced behind me and I knew that something wasn't right. Before I could even pinpoint what was going on, an arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me straight off the ground. The scenery was blurred for a second as we whirled around rapidly. Zero skidded away from where Sora and Daiki were, just a centimeter away from slamming into one another.

I blinked in surprise at them before shifting my gaze over to Zero, who met my gaze for only a second before looking away. When Gin announced that there were five minutes left, it was an unspoken understanding that it was time to wrap it all up.

Letting me down carefully, Zero and I faced Daiki and Sora once more. In unison, we all ran at each other—I was sure that they were surprised that Zero was coming, as his weapon wasn't one that was useful for close-range combat, but then again, neither was Daiki's.

The moment in which Sora and my weapon clashed only lasted a second, because immediately, Zero's hand wrapped around the wrist I held out to him, and he launched me right at Daiki. The side of my foot slammed into Daiki's right arm, sending him flying off to the side with a surprised grunt. The silver-haired hunter then reached out and wrapped an arm around my lower back, pushing me down and propelling me forward. My feet swung from behind me to in front of me, and as I passed by Zero's torso, he released his hold on my wrist, allowing me to fly right by under his raised arm with ease.

I heard him shoot Blood Rose once, and it was only a second later that I heard Daiki curse, signaling that it had hit. I was sure that Sora expected me to swing at him, so it surprised him when, instead, I gripped onto his shoulders as I passed overhead of him. The moment my feet touched the ground, I brought my arms forward and—lightly—threw Sora down in front of me. Before he knew it, I had sunk the tip of Rixelvelt into his shoulder.

He remained on the ground, his chest heaving and his eyes closed for a few more moments. After he had regained his breath, he pushed himself up into a sitting position and shook his head. "Damn."

Laughing, I grinned and offered him a hand, hoisting the taller male back onto his feet. "That was impressive. Amazing job, Sora."

He sighed, but he didn't say anything about that. He dusted off the dirt that had gotten onto his clothes as we walked towards Zero and Daiki, the fourteen-year-old bow-user still attempting to regulate his breathing as he sprawled out onto the floor.

"That was _ridiculous_!" Daiki burst out when Sora and I joined the two. Even though he said this, his topaz eyes were bright and sparkling as they met mine. "I can't believe—argh!"

"You lost to me twice," I teased with a grin. "I'm sorry about your shoulder, by the way. You okay?"

"Dandy," he muttered, sighing.

Sora ran a hand through his hair, his eyebrows pulling together just slightly as his gaze darted from between Zero and I. "Years?"

Confused, I questioned, "What?"

"Have you guys been partners for years?" Sora elaborated.

I stared at him, somewhat stunned, for a few moments. He thought Zero and I had worked together for _years_? Did it really seem that way? It had only been, like, two months since I had met Zero again after the years and years of not seeing him, and upon our meeting, he didn't even _remember_ me.

Not knocked speechless like I was, Zero answered smoothly, "No."

"_Seriously_?" Daiki's tired voice was soaked in incredulity. "No way. How long have you guys been fighting alongside each other, then?"

Regaining my ability to speak, I merely blinked at the two younger men. "A week?" It came out as a question, not a statement. We had only ever fought as partners during the rebellion.

The two of them stared at me in silence for a moment—Daiki with his mouth agape and eyes wide, Sora merely looking a bit surprised—before they both shook their heads and began to mutter underneath their breath about how it was ludicrous and unusual and how we were practically fighting machines.

I laughed at the last part, earning myself glowers from both of them, and I merely laughed harder as a response. Both of them eventually huffed and gave up, gathering themselves together and walking back to where the rest of the campers were. I followed after them, but not before I looked up at Zero with a grin.

The handsome vampire merely returned my gaze with one of his own unfathomable ones. Our eyes were only locked for a few seconds, but I felt like I had been staring at him for an eternity. Being so close to him, having him walking right beside me, feeling his warmth—I realized that I missed it all.

And, as we broke our gazes, it took all of my self-restraint to keep myself from reaching out to take his hand in mine.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

And that's the end of this chapter! There wasn't really any dialogue or conversation between Ivy and Zero, BUT... they COULD communicate without words, so YOU KNOW. That's saying something. I feel like having them understand one another even with unspoken words just sorta emphasizes their relationship, and I liked it better than having them speak. BUT DON'T WORRY. Next chapter, I can definitely PROMISE you that they'll talk again. And it'll be all nice and good between the two. (:

I KNOW, I KNOW. Some of you guys are going to be like, "DAIKI CHANGED SO MUCH SO QUICKLY" and actually, I have to agree. And to be totally honest, I hadn't planned for that. But I don't know... Daiki isn't my favourite little camper ( I have a favourite, yes, -BIASED- ) but I think that he kinda spices things up a little due to his sass and attitude. So I had to an urge to stick him back into the story ASAP. -SHOT- SORRY GUYS.

... But then again, who knows who had visited him during those hours he had reflected? (; OHHHH. DUN DUN DUNN.

Like always, I need to apologize for spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and any OOCness that may have occurred in this chapter!

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**thecoldforest, SasuTenLuvr, luvJesusInHeavn, Tokine8696, rachel101448, Ficchii, I1am1the1best, Anemos, Kalafina94, Fangirling Duck, SunnyDorangejuice, IxLOVExALOISxTRANCYx, Inedible, XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX, Rachel Monroe, Meatball-nii, AkainoHotaru, Frosthearted, Simplicity-Shitsuboku, river90, and anayu123**

Thank you guys SO much for your amazingly lovely reviews. You have no idea how much I appreciate it! And thank you to everyone who favourited and alerted as well! (:

I've been away for a while, and I've MISSED YOU GUYS, so my replies may or may not be longer than usual. HAHA. OKAY, RESPONSES, GO!

To **thecoldforest**;

LOOOOL. Well, I mean, everyone can say that they'd fight over Zero. But I was wondering if anyone would say something totally random, like they'd fight over who had nicer hair or who'd seduce the most men in rainbow-coloured pin-striped suits. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? -SHOT- But the parfait thing? TOTALLY. Ivy would just be like, "Uh... Okay, yeah you take that. -MAKES ONE TEN TIMES BETTER- (;"  
>Ohmy. REALLY? I've never liked Yuuki, so I've always felt like she's never deserved Zero. But at the same time, lately I've been thinking that she doesn't deserve Kaname, either. I FEEL SO HORRIBLE. To be completely fair, though... I usually never like heroines in any manga or anime. SO. xD Since I'm totally biased and all, I'm a ZeroxIvy shipper. -SHOT-<br>If Ivy and Yuuki DID fight over Zero and Yuuki gave up because she had Kaname as well, Ivy would be so pissed off. She would NOT let Yuuki back out just because of that, and she'd provoke Yuuki to fight with all she's got. Ivy wouldn't accept her surrender for, what Ivy would consider, a bullshit reason like that. xP  
>OHMYGOODNESS. I can't. LOL. THAT WOULD BE SO CRUEL TO HER. And she can't imagine Zero ever liking her that way, so... OTL.<br>Aww, I'm sorry! But I swear that there will definitely be a lot more ZeroxIvy moments in the upcoming chapters. From here on out, it can only go up for the ZeroxIvy romance. ;D  
>AND I NEED TO APOLOGIZE FOR MY LATE UPDATE AS WELL. But no worries, I'm definitely not abandoning Shitsuren! I'm actually almost done the next chapter, so in just a few days ( I hope ) I'll be able to finish it up, edit it, and then update! HOHOHOHO. It took me a while, but I finally managed to get this chapter up!<br>Thank you for always supporting me and I'm sorry for the wait! I hope that you liked this latest chapter! (:

To **SasuTenLuvr**;

Hello! (:  
>And HAHA, thank you! To be honest, the canon characters don't show up all that often. The most you see are probably just Zero, Kaito, and Yagari. Kaien sometimes, but yeah. A part of me hates myself for making so many OCs instead of just using canon characters, but I blame Matsuri-sensei for not creating enough hunter characters. OTL.<br>Oh man. That's why you never read fanfic for anything that you haven't completed yet! D;  
>I KNOW WHAT YOU MEANN. I've realized that sometimes a story just seems totally focused on the love between the protagonists, and I'm like, "Do they... have friends they actually hang out with?" and it bothered me, so I've been trying to create balance. HOHOHO. I'm really glad that it's working! (:<br>As for the names... The Tashiro family is a mix of different ethnic groups. LOL. As for Al, he's a mixed baby. His dad's English, but his mom's Japanese. Cheryl's full English, but she moved from North America over to Japan ( or wherever VK takes place ) due to family issues.  
>Ivy is very oblivious. HAHA.<br>Daiki is... interesting in his own way, I think. Personally, I'm not total fan of his despite creating him, but nonetheless, I DO think he has his "aww" moments. xD  
>Thank you for your compliments and for reading my story, as well as being kind enough to drop a review! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia! (:<p>

To **luvJesusInHeavn**;

Because I slather myself with chocolate fudge cake every night before I go to sleep! THAT, my dear, is the reason why I'm so good. HOHOHO. ;D ;D  
>HINTS ARE SO FUN TO DROP AS AN AUTHOR. But as a reader, in all honesty, I am SO bad at picking up on them. OTL.<br>Yeah. Daiki is just. I feel like it's so sad that he's the way he is because that's just how he's been growing up, y'know? I feel like it made sense to have someone totally hate Ivy and EX5, as well as Zero, simply because they were vampires and nothing more. So BAM. Daiki was created. I think that you'll grow to like him more as the story progresses, especially now that he and Ivy have made up. (x  
>WELLL... I'm not really sure if your head will have exploded ten times over, BUT... There ARE many more surprises to be coming, so. ;D I hope you look forward to them. And I honestly hope that they're actually surprises instead of things you've just seen coming a mile away and haven't voiced aloud. LMAO.<br>Okay, this chapter... maybe not FLUFF, but... THEY WORKED TOGETHER? YAYYY! -sheepish smile- NEXT CHAPTER. I SWEAR.  
>I finally updated, so I hope you liked this chapter! Thank you so much for always reading and reviewing for me! (x<p>

To **Tokine8696**;

This is a secret, but... I'm physic. BAM! (x I'm less confident in my abilities this time, because I actually haven't updated in a while, so... OTL. I must apologize for that. Powers are diminishing.  
>THE WINTER BREAK ARCCCC. You have absolutely no idea how much I just want to fast forward to that arc already. Like... HONESTLY. I just want to be there. I JUST WANT TO BE THEREEEEE. It will be amazing. At least I think it'll be. And it'd be chapters full of the Tashiro siblings. CAN'T GET BETTER THAN THAT. ARGH. ASDNGOWEANBO. -BREATHES-<br>Kenta is too adorable. I must agree. I'm hoping to have him appear in a chapter or two, because I think it'd suck if he didn't show his face at least once. ;_;  
>I KNOW, RIGHT? I'm so happy to know that I'm not the only one who's been so displeased with the way VK is going. I just. The only reason I'm still keeping up with it is because I've been with it for so long and I NEED to know how it ends and how it got to that ending. Normally, I wouldn't drop any anime or manga that I've started unless I consider it absolutely atrocious, but VK just makes me so angry that it would've been an exception. But you know. D;<br>I CAN TOTALLY SEE THAT HAPPENING. I can definitely see a fight happening because of something like that. And I can imagine Ivy backing off her, but I don't really know... HMM.  
>W-Well, I didn't meet my goal of updating early April... or in April... BUT I FINALLY GOT THIS CHAPTER UP, SO TA-DAAA!<br>Thank you for supporting me and having faith in me! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia! (:

To **rachel101448**;

Aww, thank you for your compliments! They flatter me. If you keep saying stuff like that, my ego will be big enough to knock people out of the lunch line at school tomorrow. LOL. But it's okay; you have no idea how many times my parents have caught me wailing and sobbing over anime or a story. They already think I'm a bit insane. ;D  
>I feel bad for Daiki, too. I mean... I think that he's just gutsy enough to voice aloud things that other people wouldn't dare to say. Because surely not everyone there would be totally accepting of vampires being their instructors. He acted on his own hatred and ignorance, but everyone there could relate to him.<br>Lettie's adorable, I think. She has enough sass to her to make her fierce, but still cute. (x  
>In all honesty, I felt like I should've gone out to run, too... but I didn't. Exercise isn't something I'm fond of. -SLAPPED-<br>ASDFGHJKL. HINTS. I love them. Or, well, I love dropping them here and there. ;D A bit more of EX5's past will be revealed before the fourteen days of winter training camp are up, so I hope you look forward to that. ;D  
>You really think that Ivy could overpower Yuuki like that? ;OOO! I'm surprised. I'm not really sure if Ivy could hold back a lot... HMM. xD<br>Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me, and for reviewing! I hope that you enjoyed the latest updateee! ;D

To** Ficchii**;

I-I... WHAT JUST HAPPENED? LOL. D-Did you just tell me that the famous Tashiro siblings captured you? -DIES-  
>OHMYGOODNESS, GURL, NO WORRIES. I am completely with you. I don't mind if you don't pick up on the hints, because then things will just hit you harder later on since you didn't see it coming at all. When I read things or watch things, I don't pick up on any hints. At all. I'm just like, "Uh... there were hints?" LOL.<br>-SOBS- I'M SO HAPPY THAT YOU LIKE OCS. To be honest, I feel like BECAUSE they're my own characters, they're so much easier to keep in character that canon ones. Maybe it's because I made them, and therefore sorta understand how their minds work, but y'know. Characters have their own minds when you write. xP  
>I think your opinion is amazingly wonderful and something that I don't actually deserve. LOL. Still, I feel like I'm bombarding everyone with OCs and it can get hard to remember. ASDFGHKLJ. I feel like I need to incorporate more canon characters into the story, but there are hardly any hunters, and I'm like. WHY. WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME. So yeah. Kaito and Yagari and Kaien. -THUMBS UP- I DO think it makes you more creative to create your own characters, though. And it makes it more fun. -SHOT-<br>LMAO. THE KISS BETWEEN ZERO AND IVY WILL TAKE FOREVER. I'M TELLING YOU THIS RIGHT NOW. aSDNGOAWENOWEAB. And a Trance fan already? ;O! We can fangirl over him together, since I absolutely adore him. xD  
>Reading your reasons make sense, but MANN. You really don't expect Ivy to hold back? ;O I'm actually not really sure if she would or not, since it would totally depend on the context, but whoa... DO I MAKE HER SEEM THAT HEARTLESS? LOL.<br>Thank you for your understanding and your consideration! I've finally managed to update after so long, so I hope you liked the chapterrr! (:

To **I1am1the1best**;

;OOO! Well, I'm honoured to be the author of the first story you've reviewed! Welcome on board! (:  
>ASDFHERNOERN. Thank youuuuuuu! I'm glad you love Ivy so much. I've tried to make her a character that you can love, but still has her own flaws. So I feel like I've been succeeding. xD<br>It's okay! I know how it feels when you're waiting for an update and it feels like it's taking forever and you're just like, "DEAR LORD, WHY CAN'T YOU JUST UPDATE ALREADY? -PISSED-" I know. I've been there. LMAO. So no hurt feelings. ;D  
>I'm glad you like the slow pacing, too! That makes me happy because so do I. HAHA. It might take a while for them to get together ( like an eternity, maybe ) but it'll happen! I hope you stick with me until then! xP<br>Thank you for reviewing for me! I'm really touched that your first review would be for me, and I've finally got the next chapter up, so I hope that you were happy with it! (:

To **Anemos**;

HAHA. Nao's kindness is hard to see unless you know him really well or just read people extremely well, both of which Ivy excels at. Usually. xD  
>SORA. He's my biased out of all the campers, which I feel like is horrible because I can't believe I have a favourite, but yeah. GOOD CHOICE. ;D Even though he doesn't speak much or anything, I just have so much fun writing when he's in the scene. I think that he's a bit more quiet. If Trance and Ivy were all good, Trance probably wouldn't be as much of a shut-in and as cold or as snappy. -SIGH-<br>Yuppp. Nao knows. So does EX5. And if you could talk to any of them about it, they'd say that Ivy's just being an idiot. And they'd be so genuine about it.  
>Trance DOES know why Ivy keeps her distance. Or at least he think he does. And in a way, he's got it point-on. But all this comes later. ;D Trance and Ivy are complicated, but at the same time, they're very, VERY simple.<br>I love how you said they couldn't change in a short time, and it's like... BAM, next chapter, he's different. I feel like I've completely messed up his character, but... I don't really know. Daiki reflected a lot in the time after that, and he had some help, so... HMM. Maybe this is an excuse, maybe it's not. xP  
>Ivy's oblivious about how EX5 feels, but a lot of it is because she doesn't understand how they could feel any differently from her. Like... in her mind, it just doesn't even get processed as a possibility. It's true that he'd probably regret what he'd have said, but it's also because Nao feels like Ivy needs to figure it out on her own. He feels like he can't baby her and just tell her so easily like that. She needs to come to an understanding with that herself.<br>And you really think that it's easy for people to pierce Ivy's armour and climb her walls? LOL. I'm actually not sure how I feel about that. I feel like it might simply be because she's mostly been interacting with people she's familiar with. I think it might be because Ivy's naturally kind, but just because she's nice, that doesn't mean you've broken through to her. You know what I mean?  
>Thank you for being so faithful and so supportive! I'm so grateful and I appreciate it so much. I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia! (:<p>

To **Kalafina94**;

ASDFGHJKL. THANK YOU. -SOBS- Honestly, you have no idea how happy and touched that I am that you'd even BOTHER to click and check out my story after reading reviews like that. I mean, you expected a Mary-Sue but you still gave me, as well as this story, a chance, and for that... Man, I'm so grateful.  
>Thank you for your compliments on Ivy and my writing. ASDFGSIBWEG. I'm really happy to hear that you think so. I try not to rush things and to keep characters in character, but sometimes it may not work out. OTL. And I'm really relieved to hear that you see Ivy's flaws and don't consider her a Mary-Sue. I think that having her turn out that way is one of the things I'm worried about the most. ;_;<br>Thank you so much for your thoughts. I'm extremely thankful and appreciative. HAHA. But it's okay! I didn't and haven't listened to them, and I won't ever. I have to admit it hurt and confused me a bit at first, but then I built a bridge and got over it. Everyone has their own opinions, and if that's what they thought, then fine. xP But I had a lot of supportive comments and PMs from others, so it made things so much easier. Once again, thank you so much for your kind words and feelings. (:  
>Also, thank you for taking the time to even tell me something like this. It means a lot to me that you'd take the time to. And I've updated, so I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! (:<p>

To **Fangirling Duck**;

IT'S BEEN A WHILE, I'M SO SORRY. I'm not dead, though! Just... a bit zombie-fied. BUT STILL ALIVE.  
>And yeah. She stabbed herself. LOL. It's kinda crazy when you think about it, but then again, Ivy's never really been normal. HAHA. Sometimes speaking just doesn't have enough effect or an impact, and impact was what Ivy was going for. She was hoping that her actions would speak so much louder than her words, because... Well. Ivy's not really a word-wiz, you know what I mean? It's hard for her to express how she felt about it, so she was just like, "Okay, well. -STABS- This is good enough." And yeah, Daiki DID learn a lesson. So it's all good. ;D<br>LMAOOOO. I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN. A lot of people say they think Ivy's going to win in a fight, and I TOTALLY get why they'd think that. But a small part of me, despite loving Ivy to death, really questions whether or not she'd be able to beat Yuuki's ass. I mean, Yuuki IS a Pureblood and her powers are so eccentric and unpredictable. No matter how skilled Ivy is, I wonder if she can actually pull off defeating Yuuki. It's a conflict inside me that still continues, even today. HAHA.  
>Don't worry about it, I love long reviews! ;D<br>And by the way, I LOVE how you called Kaname "browny-locks." I BURST OUT LAUGHING. AT 2 AM. Ohmygoodness. -DIES-  
>Thank you for always spending the time to write a review ( and have them be so damn funny, whether you intend for them to be or not )! I hope that this chapter of Heterochromia is relatively satisfying to you? HAHA. (;<p>

To **SunnyDorangejuice**;

You? You're the one who's beautiful, pretty awesomeness? I know, gurl, I know. ;D  
>HIGH FIVE ME. WE HAVE THE SAME OPINION ON YUUKI. I feel like I'm always bashing on her when I'm not writing a story with her in in, and it makes me feel so horrible, but GOD. I HATE her. But at the same time, I'm like, "Dear lord, Yuuki's a Pureblood. If she loses control of her emotions... Will Ivy really be able to handle it?" and it causes so much conflict in me that I can't. I CAN'TTTT. -SIGH-<br>LMAO. Well, I gotta admit that you were creative in that. Or just super hilarious. HAHA. But I can definitely see why you'd think Ivy would do either a, b, or c. It's entirely possible, and I think it depends on context. I'm actually wondering if Ivy and Yuuki would ever clash in this story... Despite being the author, I don't even know. LOL. OTL.  
>Thank you so much for dropping me a review! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter as well! (:<p>

To** IxLOVExALOISxTRANCY**;

HAHA, thank you! I'm glad that you liked it. (:  
>And oh goodness. AGAIN? GODDAMNIT. -FLIPS TABLES- This always happens. ASDFNOWAEBEWB. Thank you for telling me! I'll definitely go back and fix it when I have the chance ( TIME ) to.<br>Also, thanks for dropping me a review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much as the last! xP

To **Inedible**;

LOOOOL. I'm so happy to hear that you've been following me for a while! The fact that you were even reading my things for any extended amount of time is enough to delight me. But the fact that you think I'm an amazing enough of an author for you to write a review... Well, damn. Ego inflation. xD  
>The days for the camp WILL be short, because nothing really happens except for training. LMAO. I only include the important snippets in the chapter. I mean, I could write about Ivy helping her group with their weapons, but I don't think that'd interest a lot of people. Besides, a part of me tells me that people want me to fast forward to the winter break arc, which will have a lot more ZeroxIvy moments than this one. xP<br>Sora similar to Shiki in that way? Definitely. HAHA. He's not a boy of many words, and he's a firm believer that actions speak louder. (:  
>I hope you like Daiki a bit more after this chapter. He's a poor boy that's just been a product of his environment. But now he's changing, so YES. xD<br>LMAO. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I WANT THEM TO GET TOGETHER, TOO. As the author, man... IT'S PAINFUL. I JUST WANT TO WRITE THAT SCENE WHERE THEY GET TOGETHER AND KISS AND FALL IN LOVE, BUT I CAN'TTTT. It hurts. It hurts too much. -SOBS-  
>Ivy and Yuuki clashing over Zero. The most likely scenario. SO MANY EMOTIONSSSSS. ASDBOVEWANBOAWEB.<br>No, don't be sorry! I really like long reviews, to be honest. LOL.  
>Thank you for taking the time to write me a review! I'm honestly so thankful. I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia! (:<p>

To **XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX**;

You thought the transitions were perfect this time? LOL. REALLY? -IS SO FLATTERED- WHY THANK YOU. ;D I'm happy I got it right. HAHA. I can't say that much for this chapter, though. -sigh-  
>ASDFFGGJKL. NOO, I'm the one who's thankful you stumbled upon my work. LOL. I'm glad that you liked that scene, though! I felt like maybe it made Ivy seem a bit extreme. Or reckless. I mean, both of which she kinda is, but STILL.<br>Nao. Ohmy. LOL. His kindness is really hard to see and understand. A lot of people would never interpret his actions or words as ones with kindness and affection behind them, but if you KNOW and UNDERSTAND him like EX5 do, then you'd just be able to read him so well. To others, he might be an enigma, but to them, he's like an open book when it comes to how he feels. xD  
>HAHA, no. Ivy doesn't keep aces up her sleeve. She's too honest for that; trickery isn't her forte. At all. But by her strength, Nao meant her strength as a person. From an emotional and mental standpoint. It's like... No matter how many times she gets knocked down, she can somehow gather herself together to stand up again. That's what he means. And she stands her ground, firm and indignant. She fights for what she believes in, etc.<br>I think Ivy's the most complex character I've EVER written. And when I had her outline, I planned for her to have layers, but as the story progressed, more and more layers were just added to her and I'd never intended for that to happen. She's grown a lot more in-depth than I could've imagined, and to be honest, I love where she's gotten.  
>You've hit the nail on the head, you know? Ivy's just tired.<br>OHMYGOODNESS. IS THAT WHAT YANDERE MEANS? O_O I've always thought that yandere just meant that you were super bubbly and nice on the outside, but on the inside, you were stone-cold and impenetrable. I don't even know anymore.  
>But yes. I DO feel so bad for Kaname. My heart cries for him. All the time. I just... I feel like he's so tragic. Everyone always feels so bad for Zero, and yeah, sure, Zero's had it rough, but... So has Kaname, you know? There are always three sides to every story, and I feel like nobody bothers to listen to Kaname's because everyone's team Zero. xD<br>LOLLL. Well, Daiki's learned his lesson ( as shown in this chapter ) and I hope you like him more than before now. HAHA. I'm so glad that you think all my OCs are cool! ;D That makes me happy, because I've invented so many that I don't even... ASDFGHJKL. I feel bad for shoving them all into you guys' faces, but... -sigh- There will probably be a question near the end of Heterochromia that will ask you about my OCs. I'm not sure what I'll be asking, but I'm sure there will be SOMETHING to ask about them. xD  
>ASDFFGJKL. I apologize about the waits. OTL. But I'm really happy that you review FOR me to talk to you. It's awesome. I love talking with people, and you're wonderful, sooo. BONUS FOR ME. (x<br>RIGHT? RIGHTTTT? The art is so pretty. I honestly can't... Some people say they don't like VK's art and it appalls me, because I find the art so amazingly beautiful. LOL. BUT THE PLOT. OH DEAR LORD, WHY?  
>I KNOWWWWWWWWWWWWW. A part of me really, just REALLY wanted VK to end at that point. I mean... she had already chosen who she wanted to be with, right? I don't know why VK continued. It angers me because now, there's no way I'd be happy with any ending. AT ALL. I won't be satisfied with any ending, no matter what it is. Whether it's a ZeroxYuuki ending or a KanamexYuuki ending. If Yuuki dies and Zero and Kaname move on- well, okay, I'd accept that. With joy. But the chances of that happening are, like... zero. OTL. I just... YOU MAKE SUCH A GOOD POINT. SHE'S BEEN WITH HIM FOR A YEAR. HASN'T SHE FALLEN MORE IN LOVE WITH HIM YET? I feel like it'd be ridiculous if she hadn't. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, they DO say that distance makes the heart grow fonder. I DON'T EVEN KNOW ANYMORE. -FLIPS TABLES-<br>LOOOL. Most people are KentaxIvy shippers, I think. If they HAD to pick a second pairing choice. xD And I think that Kenta and Ivy are really cute together in the "aww, they're so sweet" way, while Aidou and Ivy together would just be the kind of, "LOL, WHAT IS THIS?" kind of cute. xD  
>Nice insight. It's true. HAHA. They both dislike confrontations. Or at least that's what I've gathered about Yuuki. xP<br>That's true, but I feel like Yuuki's powers as a Pureblood are so erratic and capricious. I MEAN... THOSE WINGS. WHAT HAPPENED? I didn't even know that was possible. I think that there would be so many surprises in the battle, and no matter how skilled or adaptable Ivy is, she might not be able to handle that much. WHO KNOWS? ASDFGHHJLK.  
>THERE ARE TOO MANY CONFLICTING EMOTIONS WHEN READING VK. I DON'T EVEN. And I don't think that's a GOOD thing either, because a lot of time, they're NEGATIVE conflicting emotions. It's like trying to decide whether to feel angry or feel hatred. OTL.<br>Well, late evening for me and I just got myself some jello, so... YAY. LOL. ;D  
>Sorry for the late update, but I hope that you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for always being so faithful and supportive; you have no idea how it makes my day to hear from you! So thank you! (x<p>

To **Rachel Monroe**;

;OOO! IS THAT SO? Did you take out the spaces? I'll relink it here and try to make it so the spacing might be better:  
>s1276. photobucket user Zuiliu/ media/ 6515cbc5-98be-4c56-a4f4-0471bcd4e3d1_ zpsb3f29973. jpg. html? state= copy  
>I put spaces between most of the : and  and _ and .'s. LOL. Well, I kinda put a space wherever there was punctuation, except when it came to the long list of numbers. Try that! And if it doesn't work, PM me and I'll try to get it to work for you!  
>Sorry that I couldn't help you or reply to you until now. ASDNGOWEBNAWOEB. But see if you can check it out now! It's an amazing piece of art. (:<br>Thank you for letting me know! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia! (:

To **Meatball-nii**;

LOL, hall of fame? WHAT IS THIS? ASDFGGHLB. I hadn't even thought of it that way. LMAO. But if that's what you consider it, then you've definitely earned yourself a spot. ;D I can't believe you'd go through all my other comments like that. I just assumed that people would scroll for their own name and read their own rely. But it makes me feel fuzzy to know that you bothered and took the time with it. ;D Being on the receiving end surely is different though, eh? (x  
>The training camp of the story will reveal more about EX5, and it expands a bit on Trance and Ivy. Just a bit. Plus I needed something to set up the winter break arc, so. ;D TA-DA! Plus I thought it'd be interesting, y'know?<br>Sora is a sweetheart. Honestly, he's lovely. LOL. I think that Ivy's a mixture of both ;D You could see her as an empathic genius or a stupid, reckless moron. Most people think the latter. xD I hope that you like Daiki more after this chapter, since he HAS learned his lesson. I feel bad for him because he just kinda grew up with that mindset, you know? And he was saying something that other people wouldn't dare to say. Daiki IS sweet on the inside. And bold. And sassy. But he's still a child, so. ;D  
>Oh man... Before the rift between Trance and Ivy? They were so tight. Like... all the Tashiro siblings are so ridiculously close ( they know everything about each other and understand each other to creepy extents ) but Trance and Ivy were inseparable. They were practically glued at the hips, despite being so different even at young ages. But UGH, THE RIFFFFTTTT. THAT DISTANCE NOW. -SOBS-<br>Ivy's... yeah, she carries baggage. And she hides it well, because it's just sorta instinct for her.  
>LOOOOOL. I'M SORRY. THEY'LL RECONCILE NEXT CHAPTER, THOUGH. I SWEAR. LIKE... I PROMISE THEY WILL. And then everything will be all dandy between them and there will be more lines and moments and then the winter break arc will come and you will die from fluffiness and ZeroxIvy moments will be in every chapter, I SWEARRRR. -DIES-<br>Ivy's definitely more adept at hand-to-hand combat and all, but I don't know... Yuuki's random powers as a Pureblood scare me. And it makes me wonder if she'd win, just by a stroke of luck or by some kind of killer Pureblood instinct in her. I feel like her Kuran blood would just go crazy insane and do everything possible to stop her from losing. ;_;  
>Yuuki needs to just... STOP. I don't even. In my personal opinion, she doesn't deserve either of them. -HUFFS-<br>Thank you so much for your supportive words and your understanding! I've finally updated, so I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter and look forward to the next! (:

To **anayu123**;

LOOOOOL. A SHIKIXIVY ONE? I think that an AidouxIvy one would be MUCH more interesting. ;D  
>Your compliments are too kind! ASDFGHJKL. But thank youuu. I'm touched that you think that way. I don't really know how I create my OCs; I just think of a vague outline and I just go from there. Characters never fail to just take control of the story. They flesh themselves out and they write themselves, do you know what I mean? And they just end up turning out how they are, as do the chapters. HAHA. It's fun and precarious, which makes planning out a solid chapter a bit difficult since there have been so many times that chapters ended differently than I imagined, but that's what makes it so... enjoyable? HAHA. And so magical. XD<br>The reason for Trance and Ivy's distance WILL be revealed later on, so I'll keep quiet! HAHA.  
>Thank you for taking the time to drop me a review and for reading! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! (:<p>

END OF RESPONSES.

... Too... Long... -DIES-

BUT IT'S OKAY. IT'S WORTH IT FOR YOU GUYS.

So most people answered the question last time, and most of you think Ivy would kick Yuuki's ass. I'M SURPRISED AT YOUR ANSWERS. Because even though Ivy IS more experienced and all, Yuuki IS a Pureblood, and they're hella powerful. Plus Yuuki isn't good at controlling her powers or even aware of what they are or how far they extend. So her randomness is what makes her so formidable, I think. I'm not really sure if I'd bet all my money on Ivy in a fight, but then again, I think it'd totally depend on the circumstances. WHO KNOWSSSSS? ;D

This time's question will be...

**QUESTION: What are five words you'd use to describe Ivy?**

This question just hit me randomly, and I'm asking out of both fun and curiosity. XDDD Share your thoughts with me through a review or a PM or something! (:

ZERO AND IVY WILL RECONCILE AND TALK NEXT CHAPTER, SO I HOPE YOU GUYS LOOK FORWARD TO IT!

I'm going to try super, SUPER hard to update really soon, simply because of my late update and I want to make it up to you guys!

So I'll see you guys soon!

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	23. In the Unknown Greenhouse

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters. All rights belong solely to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N: **

SURPRISEEEEEEE! I'm still alive!

HEY GUYS. (x

I'm sorry that I didn't update in June; it got crazy busy and still IS crazy busy. I thought I DID update, but... Clearly I didn't. Asdfghjkl. So I decided I NEEDED to update this month regardless, and it's really LATE month update, but I still got it up! YAAAY!

It's been a while since this happened, but ohmy. VK ended. And I don't. I've had people asking me how I feel about it and ohmylord. I will rant and rant and RANT if you guys ask me about this. I have mixed feelings about EVERYTHING, but a huge part of me still loathes Yuuki. Like... A LOT. And ohmy. I love Zero and all, but I can't. How did that even. And KANAME. I DON'T EVEN.

Okay guys. I can't. LOL. If you guys end up asking me something in your reviews, I may or may not spend half of my response to you just raging over this. So unless you want me to spew out anger and curses, best not to ask. -SHOT-

On the other hand, I hope you guys enjoy this latest update! ;D THANKS FOR WAITINGGGGG!

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><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE;**

_"In the Unknown Greenhouse"_

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><p><strong>TRAINING CAMP—DAY SEVEN [ NIGHT ]<strong>

Pounding a bit louder and harder in my chest, my heart felt like it was running a marathon for no reason. I remained silent for a few moments, just staring at the back of the silver-haired hunter who sat on the rooftop as I tried to calm the rapid beating. One of his legs had been pulled halfway up to his chest, the other sprawled out in front of him. He had rested an arm on the propped up leg, the other lying on the roof's tiles next to his thigh. I knew that he knew I was there, but he remained silent and unmoving.

Deciding that it was futile to wait any longer, I took a few steps closer to the male and greeted softly, "Good evening."

He sounded like he was resisting the urge to sigh. "What is it?"

I almost winced at the thoughts that bombarded my mind. Almost immediately, I had been about to conclude that he hated me and wanted nothing to do with me anymore. I almost let myself give up and go back into my room and read a book, believing that he was happier when we hadn't been speaking. Yet a part of me didn't _care_ about any of that—or, at the very least, ignored it as best as she could. A part of me merely wanted to get rid of any bad blood between us before deciding what would happen with our relationship next.

"I... wanted to talk," I admitted, hesitance smudging a tad along my voice. I stopped a few feet behind him and asked, "Is now a good time?"

Zero's eyes slid to the corners to rest on me for a moment, and I found myself offering a small, sheepish smile. He actually exhaled a sigh this time, and then agreed. "Yeah."

Feeling relief beginning to pour all around me, my muscles began to relax and my body lost its rigidity. It was tiring to stay tense all the time, anyways. I felt so tired and so sleepy—I was absolutely exhausted. I hadn't slept in at least two weeks, and I had forgotten to make myself a cup of coffee before coming up to find Zero. My mind felt like it was in a haze, and although being around him made me super aware of everything, he also offered a sense of comfort, warmth, and security that made everything seem so serene.

Making sure to leave a foot of space between us, I plopped down next to him and wrapped my arms around my legs, which I had pulled up to my chest. I forced down a yawn, and instead inquired quietly, "How have you been?"

Not amused by my question, he didn't even look over at me when he let out a slight scoff. His voice was monotonous as he stated, "We've seen each other every single day for the past few _weeks, _Tashiro."

The moment the last word had formed on his tongue and left his lips, I felt something warm and fluttery hit me right in the chest. I hadn't heard him call me that in over a week—it had been so long. Seven days felt like years.

I found myself grinning at him like a fool. "That doesn't answer my question."

"It's a pointless question," he retorted flatly, unfazed.

"No it's not," I protested. I paused for a moment before elaborating, the grin slipping off my face. I ended up staring at the sky with my lips slanting downwards. "We haven't spoken ever since arriving here."

He didn't say anything.

Letting out a breath of air and watching the stream of white clash ferociously against the darkness of the night before fading, I murmured, "That day... I crossed the line. I had just been so frustrated and angry that I took it all out on you. I didn't intend to go all tyrannical on you, but..." I sucked in a deep breath of air and confessed honestly, "I'm not sorry for all that I said."

This time, Zero shifted from beside me. I felt his eyes resting on the top of my head, and I began to play with my fingers as a result. I could feel the analytical way he stared at me. After a long moment, he eventually muttered, "Nothing you said requires an apology."

"You think so?" My lips quirked up slightly. "I _could_ have said things more nicely, though. The _tone_ I used..." I trailed off, shaking my head.

The moment he let his eyes slide to rest on something else, it was like the sky had been lifted off of my shoulders. I found myself glancing at him from my peripheral vision, taking in the way his strands of silver hair fell into his downcast eyes. He had a frown playing along his lips, but his expression seemed more pensive than usual.

He was the one to break the temporary silence that had ruled over us. "I don't understand."

Befuddled at how random that seemed, I could only stare at him with furrowed eyebrows. "What exactly don't you understand?"

"You."

"_Me_?" Surprise coloured my voice, and I found myself staring, more confused than ever, at the hunter next to me. I had absolutely _no_ idea what the hell he was talking about, or what he meant. I didn't know what about me he didn't understand or why he had brought this up. I opened and closed my mouth, trying to find something appropriate to say, but the only thing that left my lips was, "_What_?"

His eyes remained locked down on the scenery of the camp as he contemplated aloud in his quiet baritone, "You're either really nosy, or..."

Perplexity mixed in with curiosity, and I found myself urging, "Or...?"

At that, Zero remained silent and shook his head, lips curling downward into a grimace. His eyes seemed to tighten as he said, "As if I know."

The mystification still lingered, but a bit of it cleared up. I knew that I probably should've understood exactly what he meant at this point, but I was so tired that everything in my mind was processing so slowly. I laughed a bit at his snappy answer, and I smiled faintly as I stared at him, one eyebrow raised. "I'm either really nosy, or I just care about you."

Immediately upon hearing that, Zero's light lavender eyes flashed to meet mine. Bathed in moonlight, his strands of hair reflected the brightness and seemed to glow white, his pale skin illuminated. It looked like he carried moonlight inside him, had it running through his veins right underneath his skin. When the moonlight hit his eyes, they looked more chrome than pale violet, an indescribable and hauntingly beautiful sight.

I resisted the urge to reach out and lightly touch his cheek, just to make sure he was still a human, still a vampire.

In that moment, he didn't look like either.

Eyes steady, he retorted, "You shouldn't."

A sigh escaped me instantly, and I shook my head at him. "We're going to talk about this again, Zero?" It was like he hadn't heard a word I said to him before. "I told you before—just because you're a vampire, it doesn't make you any more of a monster than huma—"

"That's not it," he cut me off, mild agitation cushioning his otherwise apathetic tone. When I remained silent, waiting for him to explain, he muttered, "I never gave you a reason to."

Startled and stupefied at his words, for the first few seconds, I only managed to stare at him like an idiot. He thought that he had never given me a _reason_ to care about him? The thought was so incredulous and so ridiculous that I almost burst out into a fit of laughter that was directed right _at_ him.

He said he didn't understand _me_, but _I_ didn't understand _him_. How in the world could he possibly even come across the thought that he had never given me a reason to care? How could someone see themselves in such a degrading manner?

Struggling not to just reach out, grab onto his shoulders and then shake him violently, I forced myself to remain silent until I had reorganized all of my scattered thoughts again, something that was more easily done now that his words had snapped me awake with surprise and horror.

"You're an idiot," I said simply. When he looked at me, I met his eyes firmly and told him, "You've given me so many reasons to care about you that I can't even list all of them."

"Your reasons are just distorted pieces of reality," Zero replied, the grimace on his face growing more prominent. I was just about to ask what he even _meant_ when he said that, but he explained before I could ask. "I've never done anything for _you_, even though it may have looked as if I had."

Letting out a noise that was a mix between a scoff and a snort, I pointed out lightly, "And _that_ is what I call self-denial and being the master of self-deception."

His eyes narrowed a little. "What?"

"You don't want to believe you're amazing and wonderful," I said, shrugging my shoulders slightly as I smiled at him. "You delude yourself into thinking that you're someone much crueler, much worse than you really are. Like everyone else out there, you see yourself through muddied water and fogged up glass. It's a deformed representation that isn't really _you_."

Scoffing at me outright, Zero retorted dryly, "This is how I know you're delusional."

"Not delusional. _Honest_," I corrected. Keeping my eyes on him, I played it his way. "Let's say, just for the sake of it, that you _didn't_ ever give me any reasons to care about you."

"Then why would you?"

"Why do I _need a reason_ to care about someone else?"

Silence.

Zero's eyes were slightly wider than usual as they met mine. He clearly wasn't anticipating that sort of answer, and it knocked him off guard. I returned his gaze with one frayed by seriousness and sincerity.

I wondered what was crossing through his mind at that moment. All I knew were the thoughts racing through _my_ head, the questions and answers and hopes and a million of other things that I didn't quite want to distract me from him.

"I don't think," I murmured, kissing away the silence, "that you need a reason. I don't think that you can always _provide_ reasons. Sometimes, they just don't exist. Emotions and attachments and relationships are all interconnected, but emotions are so capricious and so incomprehensible. You can't control your emotions no matter how much you try, and you can't pinpoint exactly why they come when they do, or why they make you feel that way. How can you possibly attach something like a _reason_ to an emotion?"

Zero remained silent, either not knowing what to say or knowing that I still had more to tell him. Either way, nothing escaped him, and I continued on, letting my eyes drift from him up to the stars.

"But if you really need reasons..." Softly, I listed, "It's because you always save me somehow. You're really kind and gentle, even though you try to portray otherwise. You always look so miserable that I can't help but want to protect you from everything horrible in this world—to make that look in your eyes disappear." I felt myself flushing at what I said, the blood rushing up to my cheeks. Thankfully, the cold of the night had already turned my cheeks and the tip of my nose pink. I hoped that it camouflaged my blush, though I doubted he could see it anyway in the darkness.

I let my head fall back straight, and I blinked as my eyes met his solemn ones. There was a very brief silence, and even though I had been staring straight at him, I still jolted a tiny bit when he said, "Tashiro."

"Yes?" It almost came out as a stammer.

"It's not that I don't understand or am ignorant about those around me." He paused for a moment, his eyes darkening just slightly. His posture stiffened. "It's just that the situation is complicated and beyond anyone's realm of control."

Just from the way he was speaking, it was so obvious what he was talking about—_who_ he was talking about. I had realized a while back that everything came back to her. The silver-haired hunter's world had been centered around her while she was still human, and even now, when she was the Kuran princess. His world still revolved around her. No matter how I looked at it, she was practically everything to him, whether he admitted to it or not.

This was simply a case in point.

"But not yours." When his eyes slid over to clash with mine, my lips pulled upwards softly. "Do you believe that, before we were even born, our fates were already written in the stars? That some other supernatural, superior entity like Fate or Destiny has already determined the path we take, and everything that we do is just trailing along that path?"

"That's irrelevant and childish."

I laughed. "So I'm taking that as a 'no'?"

"What do you think?" His lips tugged downwards at the corners. His eyes shifted away from me to rest on something I couldn't see. He looked so grounded, so stuck in reality, but at the same time, so far off in another world.

Expecting his answer—really, I would've accused him of being an imposter if he had said anything else—I commented, "So you believe that what you do right now is something that will help determine where you go. You believe that you control your own life—your choices and your actions will be what shape your future." I paused, then asked brightly, "So how is anything really ever out of your 'realm of control'? I mean... Circumstances and situations may seem devastating and inevitable, but a lot of it depends on how you _take on_ that particular challenge. Sometimes you can take it head-on and something good comes out of it, sometimes not."

My eyebrows knitted together when I finished speaking, because I didn't even know if I was making any sense. Expressing my thoughts had never been something that I excelled in, and what I was trying to tell Zero made perfect sense inside my mind, but after putting them into words, they sounded weird and confusing. I hated it when that happened, because I just ended up making myself sound amazingly stupid. And then more often than not, I end up puzzling myself as I tried to reorganize and rephrase my thoughts into words again. It was _especially_ worse on days or nights in which I felt so incredibly sleepy, just like tonight.

"That," he started quietly, bitterly, "only applies if you _have_ choices."

"There are _always_ choices," I told him immediately. It was so nearly a lie. I felt the horrible aftertaste the moment the words formed on my tongue and left my mouth—it was so close to a lie. So close. But then I shook my head because it wasn't, it _wasn't_. Smiling wryly this time, I voiced aloud my thoughts, "There are always choices; it's just that all the choices that are presented to you might utterly suck and it feels like you're losing no matter what you do."

Being under his scrutinizing gaze was unnerving and it made me slightly anxious, because I felt like he was trying to peel me apart layer by layer and inspect me through a microscope. He was watching me so carefully, I almost let myself believe I had something interesting for him to look for.

"And your point?" he urged patiently, placidly.

"It's that you _are_ able to control some aspects of a horrible situation," I replied, resting my chin in between my knees and staring ahead at the halcyon countryside view in front of me, though it was shrouded in a dark cloak. And although I did _not_ want to approach and touch on the topic, I knew that there would be no point in skittering around it. We had been indirectly referring to them, anyways.

Resisting the urge to sigh, I murmured, "I told you before that it's not a sin to be in love with her."

Upon hearing that, Zero tensed automatically like he was expecting me to throw a punch at him. Normally, it would've amused me and I would've made a joke out of his reaction, but this time, I couldn't. It was such a touchy subject for him, and it was a touchy subject for me, too. I didn't plan to tip-toe around the subject or beat around the bush, but I definitely wasn't going to charge head-first into it without thinking twice.

"Why are you mentioning that?" he asked, sounding weary, wary, and wry all at once.

I rolled my eyes, and I was sure he saw it. "Oh, come _on_. We both know that your complex situation revolves around her, your feelings, and everything that connects with either of those."

"Being a busy-body again?" came his casual, somewhat dry remark.

"You _are _my business," I reminded him, shrugging my shoulders a bit. "You might think otherwise, but... The way I see it, you're someone who matters to me, therefore if you're suffering, I'm here to lend a hand. I can't physically do anything for you this time around—I can't go up to her and physically take her feelings, then take _your_ feelings, and then put them into a bowl and mix them together and then give it back. The only thing I can do for you is to listen and tell you what I think, and hopefully make _you_ think about yourself, what you want, what you need, and everything in between."

"It doesn't matter," he dismissed impassively. He sounded like he was forcing it through locked jaws, trying desperately to cover up any other emotions with nonchalance. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite working.

"Of course it does. Why wouldn't it?"

"Either way, nothing changes."

"What are you talking about? A million things change."

"As in?" The tone of his voice clearly said he wasn't expecting anything spectacular that would change his life. He never sounded like that, though. And I didn't think that I _had_ anything that would truly impact his life that much, because again, who was I to actually influence him so much? Even so, the best I could do was say what I had to say, and hope that maybe it would spark _something,_ inspire _anything._

Taking a couple of seconds to get my thoughts straight, I started off slowly. "Figuring out what you want and what you need helps you prioritize everything. After that, you can decide whether you're going to do your best to get those things, or if you're going to let them slide. You think that none of your feelings matter in this situation, because you put her first—what _she_ wants, _her_ happiness." I paused, staring down at my slippers. "This is you degrading yourself and saying that how you feel isn't worth as much as how she feels, and that's wrong. You have the right to be happy just as much as she does."

Zero remained silent for a few instances before saying, "I don't degrade myself."

Having already anticipated his response, I was retorting almost before he even finished his sentence. "Yes you do." I wrinkled my nose a bit. "I know that you consider it treasuring and cherishing her, but at the same time, why must you give up your happiness for hers? You can't place that on a scale and determine which one is of more value than the other."

"It's subjective," he shot back.

"Exactly," I replied, still staring down at my fuzzy, warm slippers. "To you, hers is more important and yours is less. The meaning behind this mindset is amazing, because really, when do we ever truly put other people before ourselves? The magnitude of affection and thought and sincerity that you have for her is something wonderful in itself, which in turn means that you, yourself, are a lovely person. Therefore, why does your happiness come last? If you _deserve_ happiness to extents that aren't even fathomable, why haven't you gotten it yet? It's because you don't see it. You don't see how much you're really worth." I chanced a glance at him, meeting his eyes with my own and ending with, "Self-derogatory."

Not wasting a second, almost as if expecting _my_ answer, he countered, "Only if that person truly does deserve that happiness."

"And _that_ is also subjective." Letting go of my hold around my legs, I instead brought my arms up to rest on the tops of my knees. Turning my head to rest on the pillow my arms created, I stared at him and smiled. "But you really _do_ deserve happiness, Zero."

His amethyst eyes could've been glowing crystals with the way they looked as the reflected back the moonlight. He stared at me with a deep, indescribable look added to his solemn expression. I met his gaze with my own unwavering, genuine one, hoping really hard that he would believe me, that he realized I truly meant what I said.

For some reason, with the way he had looked when I said it, I felt like that was the very first time he had ever heard that from someone else.

In that moment, his eyes had flashed, widened, then tightened before softening. His lips had parted, like he immediately wanted to protest, or like he was surprised, but then they clamped shut once more. Tension ran throughout his entire system for an instance before it drained out of him and he relaxed. The vampire hunter was able to recompose himself and return his countenance to one of neutrality, but not fast enough. Or maybe it was because I had been observing him closely, waiting for any sign of a reaction out of him. Perhaps it was because, since we spent practically every day together for hours, I was able to read him and understand him just a bit better than I did before.

Seeming to understand that arguing with me was pointless, as we were both equally obstinate and unyielding, Zero stayed silent. He continued to stare out in front of him, but his eyes didn't have that distant, far-off look in them. Rather than staring out blankly, lost in another world, his eyes were sharp and alert, but pensive.

I wondered what had changed.

Shamelessly, I continued to ogle at him for a while. I wasn't sure how long I watched him, but eventually, he grimaced and let his eyes dart over to rest on me.

"What?" he asked, irritated and as oblivious as a newborn puppy.

Slowly shaking my head from side to side, I murmured, "It's nothing important." I forced myself to look away from him, instead turning to look at what he had been. Or trying to. I didn't know what he was seeing as he gazed into the wide expanse of misty darkness, and I knew that no matter how hard I tried to, it'd be impossible.

As my own thoughts consumed me, it got harder and harder to keep myself awake. After all, my thoughts were merely my own—there was nothing incredibly stimulating about them, since they were all things that I had pondered about before. I could feel myself relaxing more than I'd like to, despite my attempts at staying awake. I blinked my eyes hard, but I just felt even more exhausted than I did the previous second.

I wasn't sure when, but eventually, I succumbed to the darkness.

The last thing I remembered was a distinct scent, followed by an arm sliding across my shoulders.

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><p><strong>TRAINING CAMP—DAY EIGHT<strong>

"Akahana," I said, amused. When her dark crimson eyes finally shifted over to meet mine, I raised my eyebrows at her and asked, "You doing okay?"

Pink tainted her pale cheeks, but her expression didn't change at all except for the slightest twitch at the corner of her mouth. Straightening her back and positioning her bow and arrow, she turned to the target placed a few hundred feet away from her and said, "Yes."

"Is that so?" The grin in my voice was unmistakable, as was the doubt. My eyes slid over to who she had been staring at, eyebrows raising as entertainment played on my features.

Zero. I should've known.

His group had just entered the training area, on their way back to the cabin after warming up with a jog at the mountain. The children he had with him were all extremely energetic, chattering amongst themselves in lively tones. When they spotted us, all of them immediately waved enthusiastically, smiles wide.

I barely had time to return their gestures before I stepped back, pulling Akahana with me. The pointed edge of a chain whipped by us, missing my neck by a handful of inches.

"S-Sorry!" An embarrassed tenor voice exclaimed. It belonged to Lyle Ellis, a twelve-year-old boy with dark blond-brown hair that curled at the ends. He was timid and shy, which made him incredibly adorable. He reminded me a lot of Kenta, actually.

Laughing, I shook my head and grinned at him. "It's alright. It's hard to control the chain at the end of a weapon—which is why Rixelvelt doesn't have one anymore. Having a chain has its advantages, though. Here, let me show you."

As I approached Lyle, he flushed a delicate shade of crimson that had me smiling. When I got to him, he held the scythe out to me, but I raised my eyebrows at him before taking his hands and repositioning them along the shaft of the weapon. He turned a darker shade of red at the contact, and it took me a moment to explain to him how this position would help him control his swing better.

When he had the hand locations correctly placed, I beamed at him and said, "Okay, now try swinging like this." I brought his arms back, and then brought them forward slowly, changing the direction of it halfway through to create a backwards arc. When I let go, he bit down on his bottom lip nervously before clutching at the scythe tighter. Tentatively, he mimicked the same motion from earlier.

Lyle looked up at me anxiously. "W-Was that okay?"

"It was perfect," I reassured him with a grin, truly meaning it. "You're definitely a natural—you have an affinity with scythes, I can tell." I held my hand out for a high-five, and he quickly, but clumsily, outstretched his hand to comply as he stammered his thanks. The scythe that he was holding steadily tilted to one side, hitting a rock and creating an ear-splitting sound.

I tried not to wince.

"I-I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, his words coming out in a rush. His wide blue-grey eyes fell to the floor even after he had picked up the scythe again. "Your ears must hurt, I'm so sorry, I didn't—"

"Relax," I told him with a laugh, bending down a bit so that I could look up at his downcast face. I reached up and lightly nicked the bottom of his chin with a bent index finger, causing his head to lightly tilt back up. I grinned at him and said, "It's okay, Lyle. You don't need to apologize so much. I swear I've told you this a million times."

"Sor—" he broke his sentence off halfway through upon realizing what he was about to say, immediately blushing once more. "I-I mean... Okay."

I chuckled at his response and told him to continue practicing what I had shown him, but in different directions. He did as I said with quiet determination and enthusiasm, which caused the corners of my lips to pull up.

The sound of the scythe screeching against the rock still rang in my ears, so I brought a hand up to cover one of my eardrums. Still hearing the chatter of trainees that weren't in my training group, I blinked and looked over my shoulder.

Zero's group had just reached the edge of the clearing, and though I was surprised they were still here, that wasn't what caught my attention.

It was him.

My heart thumped against my chest a bit harder than necessary when I accidentally caught him staring. Immediately, confusion contorted my features. A million thoughts raced across my mind; why was he staring, why was that expression on his face, what was he thinking?

I caught myself before I jumped into odd conclusions that couldn't possibly be true.

Chiding myself internally and shoving any incredulous thoughts away from my mind, I let my features relax and I beamed at him, hands behind my back. He, as expected, didn't return the gesture.

Our eyes remained locked for another second before we both simultaneously turned away, almost as if we had done it enough times to know when it was best to look away.

Almost as if.

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><p><strong>TRAINING CAMP—DAY NINE<br>**

"The best way to use this herb is to break it apart into small pieces and then submerge it in water for at least two minutes before having the other person drink the water. Don't take the—what's wrong, Akahana?" I looked up from the textbook I was reading to blink at the wavy-haired hunter-to-be.

"I want to ask you something." Her high, tinkling soprano was dull around the edges. A part of me wanted to get to know her, to maybe change that, but another part of me was reminded constantly that I probably wouldn't be the one who could help her come to terms with the void she was feeling.

So instead of questioning her on that, I merely smiled. "Depends on what you want to ask, doesn't it? Shoot."

"What are your relationships with the other instructors like?" Akahana asked without hesitation, nothing in her expression giving her away. She could've been talking about massacring a country or planning world domination and nobody would've even guessed that she was talking about anything aside from the weather.

My eyebrows arched upwards. I knew that something like this was coming the moment she opened her mouth. Judging from what had happened yesterday, I had a feeling that the reason for the question was circled around Zero. I didn't, however, know why she would come ask _me_ about that.

"That's an interesting question," I commented, my eyes meeting hers. The corners of my lips were slanted upwards as I asked, "Is there any specific reason why you're asking?"

"If you don't want to provide an answer, then please forget about it," was her nonchalant response. She had evaded the question, something that didn't slip my mind at all. Nonetheless, she met my faintly scrutinizing gaze steadily.

After a moment of mulling over the question, I eventually placed the textbook aside and leaned back, resting my palms on the surface of the desk I was sitting on. "I'm friends with them."

"_Just_ friends?" she pressed.

Smiling, I inquired, "Is there someone who I'm supposed to be more than friends with?"

"Only if your sentiments are returned," she said matter-of-factly.

Very, very amused and interested, I found myself leaning forward, my hands lightly gripping the edge of the mahogany desk. "And we're assuming that I have feelings that I need reciprocated?"

Aside from the slight tightening of her features, Akahana didn't show any other signs of agitation or unhappiness with the way the conversation was turning out. "Perhaps it's an assumption, perhaps it's not."

"Hmm," was the contemplative, noncommittal sound that escaped my lips as I stared at the thirteen-year-old. I allowed myself a few seconds to sort out all the possible routes the conversation could go down before deciding that I refused to let her get to me. One of the things I hated the most was when people thought they knew me, believed that they knew how I felt when in reality, they didn't know anything about me at all.

And as much as I didn't want it to get to me, Akahana was undoubtedly trying to push my buttons to get a rise out of me, hoping I'd let something slip.

Slipping off the table, my feet met the floor in a barely audible tap. I kept my eyes trained on Akahana as I made my way toward her, my expression neutral excluding the mild upward tug of the lips. She met my eyes with her own dark ruby ones, lightless and blank before, but a barely existent ignition in them now.

Reaching where she sat, I stopped and let the desk between us act as a barrier.

"And what if," I continued from where I left off, "I made an _assumption_, based on this conversation, that the person who truly has unreciprocated feelings for an instructor is not myself?"

The pointed look I gave her said everything.

Her eyes narrowed at me, her body tensing. She was short of full-out glowering, the fire in her eyes a bit brighter now. "What makes you think that you can assume such things?"

My lips stretched. "_Exactly._" I gave her another look before whirling around again, making my way back up to the front. I wanted to sigh—were girls these days really so aggressive in their hunt for men? I hadn't been around young teenagers for so long that I completely forgot how they acted when it came to love and other things.

Before picking up the textbook that lay on the desk, I stopped and turned around. A grin replaced the smile as I said, "But just so you know, the answer is _yes_—my relationships with all the instructors are strictly platonic. There's nothing romantic between any of us. Did I satisfy your curiosity?"

I tried to ignore the faint ache in my chest as the words left my mouth; I didn't know why it was there in the first place.

* * *

><p><strong>TRAINING CAMP—DAY TEN [ NIGHT ]<strong>

"We all know," Gin started as his light chocolate eyes scanned the sea of curious and excited faces, "that teenagers these days like to have those 'test of courage' hikes up the mountain once it's dark. Well, guess what?"

Immediately, half of the trainees jumped up from their seats and let out loud whoops, pumping their fists in the air and turning to each other with enormous grins on their faces. The excitement that buzzed between them was electrifying and practically visible. The rest of the group also grinned, but remained in their seats. They laughed at those who ended up trying to chest-bump each other, only to stumble away from the force of the hit. Only a handful of them looked worried or concerned, something that relieved us leaders.

Laughing, Gin's grin stretched from ear to ear as he said, "Trance will be staying with you guys as the rest of us get ready and into position—Zero will be waiting for you guys at the top. We'll be recording your times. We're being nice today and letting you guys _choose_ your own pairs. The route we're going to take is one up the mountain that we warm-up on for endurance training, but don't worry—we've set up plenty of scary traps and scream-inducing things for you guys. Try not to wet yourselves, okay?"

"As if!" a chorus of voices scoffed at Gin, but the smiles could be heard in their voices.

"Say that _after_ you pass," Gin retorted, eyes bright. There was a mischievous, childish look that adorned his features and danced in his near-topaz orbs. "Just follow the usual path up the mountain. We've placed neon, glow-in-the-dark signs for you guys to follow just in case, though." Gin paused for a moment, wondering if he forgot to tell them anything. When he realized he didn't, he merely grinned and said, "Okay, bye guys. We're going. Prepared to be scared shi—crapless."

I waved to them and followed after Gin. At this point in time, we didn't even bother to ask them if they had any questions for us. They would voice it aloud if they did—they didn't need any prompting anymore. We had all gotten rather close to one another after spending days training together, and it was comfortable like this.

Although Gin spoke about us needing to get ready, all we really had to do was slip on clothes that would help us blend into the background so we didn't stick out like sore thumbs. We weren't dressed to scare the trainees or anything similar. The traps and obstacles that we set up for them were definitely going to be enough. Our main objective was to monitor the test to make sure that nobody got lost or was too scared to move.

We dispersed after reaching the bottom of the mountain path. Nao, Emi, Gin, and I separated into different directions on either side of the thickly forested area while Zero headed up the direct route to wait at the top. The silver-haired hunter was dressed normally in a sweater and a trench coat, as was Trance. We tried negotiating who would have the duty of being the starter and the resultant, but we just ended up picking our roles out of a hat.

It was obvious when the first pair began their trek up the mountain, because it wasn't long before they encountered the earliest trap that we had set. There were two loud cusses that came from the males, followed by pounding footsteps. From the tree branch that I had perched myself on, I couldn't help but laugh silently to myself.

The night wore on, each and every duo passing the spot where I sat without noticing me. None of them failed to amuse me, especially since I sat in an area where a trap was placed a few feet directly ahead of me. I had a clear view of their reactions, and half the time, I felt like it would be impossible to keep quiet. Some of them looked so frightened, while others _were_ frightened before getting frustrated or laughing. The reactions all varied from person to person, but they were all entertaining nonetheless.

"Holy goddamn—" Daiki's half-yell was cut off as Sora's fist slammed into the false vampire mannequin so hard that it fell backward, part of its face crushed inside and cracking.

Sora flicked a gaze at the older boy beside him. Daiki seemed to freeze upon meeting Sora's impassive yet accusing and sardonic look. Immediately, the light-haired trainee locked his jaws together and said, "That looked so fake. Did you see that?"

"Convincing," was Sora's sarcastic response.

Laughter was in my voice as I teased, "Please try refraining from destroying our props, Sora."

Immediately, their snaps snapped upward to the tree that I was sitting in, looking startled and on-edge. Upon seeing that it was just me, their bodies and expressions relaxed. I grinned at them, swinging my legs from the thick branch that I had seated myself on.

"Were—were you there the whole time?" Daiki briefly stumbled over his words, looking at me with horrified anticipation.

"Yup!" I confirmed cheerfully. When embarrassment coloured his face, I couldn't help but laugh. "It's okay, Daiki—we'll keep it a secret between the three of us that you're scared of the dark and the unexpected."

"I—it's not that I'm _afraid_!" he exclaimed, sounding defensive and mortified. His light eyes met mine for only a second before they darted to the right corners. "I just... I'm just not _good_ with them."

Sora looked at Daiki and commented, "It's the same thing." I could've been imagining it, but I swore that I almost heard a ghost of a chuckle escaping him.

The older boy instantly protested, "No, it's _not_!"

"Is that why I could hear you screaming ever since you passed the last directional sign?" I questioned innocently, laughing hard and holding my hands up in an "I surrender" pose when Daiki shot me a fierce, embarrassed glower.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," I managed to get out through gasps of breath. Sora turned away from Daiki, holding a fist up to his mouth. I heard a noise escape him that made it clear he was trying his best to stifle his own chortles.

"You guys!" Daiki practically stomped his foot, arms crossed over his chest. His lips were pressed tightly together, but the corners twitched upwards like he was fighting a grin.

"Okay, okay, I swear I'm—" My sentence was cut off when I heard a scream. It was a high-pitched, blood-curdling shriek that sent shivers down my spine. Dread didn't hesitate to grab my spine and fill my stomach, making my blood tinkle with ice particles as it flowed throughout my entire system.

The three of us turned our heads in the direction of the noise. From the looks on their faces, they knew that it wasn't the kind of scream that came out of someone's mouth because of the props from a test of courage—it was something more than that.

I could smell them then. The breeze carried their scents with it, an unfamiliar, yet familiar fragrance that had my eyes widening and my lips thinning.

Jumping off from the branch I had been sitting on, my mind conjured up just how far away Sora and Daiki were from the top—where Zero was—and how much distance was between the scream and I. I enhanced my senses, stretching them up to their peaks to see if there were more of them up ahead, but there weren't. They had gathered there, where Emi was.

_Why?_

"Ivy, what—"

"Go," I told them, cutting Daiki off. I met both their gazes evenly as I said, "Run to the top to where Zero is. _Run_ there. You're not that far away. There shouldn't be any of them hidden in the trees or anywhere else, but just in case..." I reached for the anti-vampire dagger that resided inside the inner pocket of my trench coat. I handed it to Sora and said, "Use it if you have to."

"Not until you tell us what's going on," Sora retorted firmly.

"Vampires snuck in," came my honest response. I handed him the dagger again, and this time, he took it reluctantly, his eyebrows pulled together so closely that they almost formed a straight line. "You guys have gotten a lot of training, and I'm sure that you'll be fine on your own. Run straight for Zero. Don't panic. Keep your senses alert and be careful." The words came out in a rush, and I was already walking away backwards as I spoke, my heart beating fast as anxiety clutched at me.

Daiki's serious expression met mine. "Where are you going?"

"To help," I answered. Seeing the grim looks on their faces, I offered a smile, lifting a hand up in a wave. "It's going to be okay, I'm sure. Just be careful, okay? I'll see you guys later!" And then, after meeting their eyes once more, I swiveled on my heels and began to race through the forest and past the obstacles we set up, my legs moving so fast beneath me that I was sure I was just a blur to any human.

Emi hadn't sent out a red signal flare to signal that something was terribly wrong, so I assumed she was too busy with the vampires. I reached into my trench coat as I ran, pulling it out. I didn't even stop running as I shot it up, the bright crimson smoke stark against the darkness of the night.

The smell of trees, soil, leaves, winter air—the untainted scents of nature mingled with the fragrances of people who I had spent the last ten days with, and tangling with _those_ scents was the smell of vampires. And blood.

Emi's blood.

My footsteps were quiet despite the fact that I wasn't even trying to be discreet in my entrance. The nearer I got, the stronger the smells were. Emi wasn't alone—she was with two students; Lyle and Mitsuru. Undoubtedly, the reason she got hurt was to protect them.

From what I could tell from the scents, there were at least five of them. Aside from the obvious questions that exploded inside my mind, I realized that they weren't Level Es. The five vampires didn't smell like Level Es at all, but rather, they held the scents of Level Cs or Level Bs.

My eyes widened. _Why...?_

Before bursting through the area where I knew they were, I broke Rixelvelt out of her restricted form. The moment I entered, I saw Emi had her back to the two children as she took a defensive stance in front of them. Immediately, I decapitated the unsuspecting Level C nearest to me.

"Are you okay?" I asked Emi quietly as I slid over to stand in front of her. She held her anti-vampire sword in her left hand because her right one had burns. I could tell they were serious, because the skin was raw and the skin was peeling off. It looked so incredibly painful that I felt sick to my stomach just seeing it on her.

"Why are you standing in front of me and in my way?" came her snarky retort, but it was obvious that the words were being forced through gritted teeth.

"Oh," an aristocrat with a blond pixie cut said, sounding amused. "We were _so_ hoping you'd join the party, Tashiro..._san_."

I narrowed my eyes at her, taking in the way her eyes glinted red. "Why are you here?"

"We merely stumbled by," the male aristocrat beside her said, the smile he flashed holding malice underneath it. "Care to show us the way out?"

"Stumbled by?" I scoffed, my grip on Rixelvelt tightening. "This place has been the grounds for hunters for decades. Don't even try to lie. _Why are you here_?"

"Maybe if you catch us, you'll find out," the woman said, her lips curling upwards tauntingly.

I breathed in deeply, knowing that her words were meant to provoke me and get me riled up. I knew that they wanted me to act impulsively and make the first move. They thought that it would be easy to set me off, but they were wrong—I had lots of patience, because I had to deal with people who were fifteen million times worse than they were.

I had to deal with my goddamn _grandparents_.

So instead of lashing out at them recklessly, I merely breathed calmly. And then within seconds, Rixelvelt clashed with claws. Bark was marred with deep scratches and slices, the leaves of trees falling all around as people were thrown. Some point during the fight, Gin had jumped in. It was easy to get rid of the Level Cs, but the nobles that held extra supernatural abilities were a bit harder to handle, especially since we wanted them alive.

I ducked to avoid the swipe that the female aristocrat aimed at me, and our clash lasted for a moment longer before flames flickered in her palm, bright and dangerous and captivating in the darkness of the night. She hurled it at me, but I side-stepped to dodge it.

Realizing a bit too late that it wasn't meant for me in the first place.

Eyes wide with horror, I turned my back to her and raced towards where Mitsuru and Lyle were still pressed up against the tree. Emi and Gin were taking care of the male Level B—his ability of illusions was definitely troublesome—and since no other vampires were in the area, they were supposed to be safe enough to be left alone for a quick clean-up.

Except that it wasn't as quick as we'd thought.

In the back of my mind, as I rushed forward toward the two trainees, I realized that she wasn't attacking me from behind. She was toying with me, and she knew that I knew it. Still, I didn't care at that moment whether she was ridiculing or underestimating me. I pushed all that into the back of my mind, because both Lyle and Mitsuru stood frozen in place, eyes wide as they stared at the oncoming fireball.

Pushing myself as hard as I could, I barely had any time to throw myself in front of them before the fire hit. Pain exploded along my left shoulder blade, the searing flames tearing through my trench coat and sinking through skin. I let out a strangled noise and shut my eyes, biting down hard on my tongue to keep myself from screaming. The metallic taste of blood entered my mouth, and I struggled to breathe in through my nose.

"I-Ivy," Mitsuru whispered, barely audible. He stared at me with eyes as wide as saucers.

It took me a moment to open my mouth to respond, because I knew that if I wasn't careful, I'd end up crying out instead of saying coherent words. The pain was agonizing. "I'm..." I inhaled a sharp breath. "I'm okay."

"Don't tell me you're done already." The sound of the woman's voice came from a few feet behind me, and mechanically, I turned around to look at her. It hurt to even move, and I kept my teeth gritted as I faced her. Another fireball flickered brightly in the palm of her hand, her lips curling upwards.

"Not even close," I spat through my teeth. She was infuriating. I wanted to do nothing more than wipe that smile off her face and then smash it into a wall. I wanted her to disappear. How could anyone _do_ that? I voiced aloud my thoughts as I stared hard at her. "That was low—aiming for our students. That was incredibly low."

"Aw," she pouted falsely. "Did I hit a nerve?"

Gripping Rixelvelt tighter in my hands, although the movement made my left shoulder yell out vicious objections, I glowered at her. "Try it again and I'll tear your head off so fast, you won't even be able to blink."

"Should you really be saying that?" The blonde vampire gave a pointed once-over, her crimson-tainted eyes glimmering when the moonlight hit them. "You look horrible and in so much pain, it's quite a beautiful sight."

Shaking my head, I observed her for another second before charging. We went at each other again and again, her fire never touching me. Maybe she believed it could burn through Rixelvelt, but that was impossible—she wasn't nearly strong enough to do that to an anti-vampire weapon. She was strong, yes, but not to that extent.

After minutes, I finally got her. I had cornered her into a tree trunk, the outside of Rixelvelt's main blade touching her neck. She pressed her back against bark, trying to get as far away from the scythe as possible, I only pushed it closer, holding Rixelvelt by the end so that there was distance between us.

I stared at her evenly and demanded quietly, "What's your motive?"

For a moment, she didn't reply. Her expression was so serious, her eyes dark. I expected her to state that she wouldn't tell me no matter what I did to her, because she seemed like that type, but then something unexpected happened.

She smiled.

And then the ground began to shake. I whipped my head over to stare at where Gin and Emi were fighting with the male aristocrat, but he was nowhere to me seen. Instead, the two of them were trying to pinpoint his location. They looked over at me, as if sensing me watching them, and realization hit their features just as it hit mine.

A wall of soil shot up from the ground out of nowhere, and I jumped back in order to dodge it, twirling Rixelvelt to rest behind me. The sound of rocks falling hard onto the floor and roots being torn as debris flew everywhere almost masked the sound of her words and obscured my vision.

_Almost.  
><em>

My eyes widened, my body tensing. My heart stopped for a second before restarting again, hard and fast and suffocating. I felt like I couldn't breathe, like I couldn't get enough oxygen into my lungs. Coldness washed over me, numbed me. Dread knotted my stomach uncomfortably.

I heard the woman's tinkling laughter and the man's smirking chortles as they fled, going as fast as they could. Their eyes gleamed in amusement and pleasure from the look on my face.

Forcing myself to snap out of it, to stop asking myself _why _and pleading for it to stop, I shoved it all into the back of my mind as I prepared to go after them. But a gentle touch on my unharmed shoulder made me turn around and meet Lyle and Mitsuru's disbelieving, terror-filled eyes.

And I ended up looking back to where the two vampires had escaped, unable to follow after them.

_Please, not now. Not here._

* * *

><p><strong>AN:  
><strong>  
>I know, I KNOW- FINALLY. I updated at last! YAY! It was a pretty long chapter; probably not my longest, but still pretty damn long. I tried to include a bit of everything in this chapter rather than just focusing on Zero and Ivy, which I hope I did alright. HAHA. I'm actually pretty excited for the next chapter, so I'm hoping I'll get it up soon! SORRY AGAIN FOR THE SUPER LATE UPDATE. ASDFGHJKLASDGNPOEWAVDQMPALK.<p>

We're reaching the beginning of day eleven of a fourteen-day training camp, and ohmanohman, you guys have no idea how excited I am. LOL. I KNOW, it sounds so terrible that I'm anticipating the end of this arc, but the end of this arc means the start of the winter break saga and ASDFGHJKLLLLL. There will be so many Ivy and Zero moments, you guys won't even KNOW. And adding onto that, it'll be Tashiro family fun all day every day. I can't even. SO EXCITED. -DIES-

Okay. Well. -clears throat-

Ivy and Zero FINALLY reconciled, so I'm hoping that made up a bit for the long wait! I'm glad they're finally talking again, as I'm sure you guys are too. HAHA. And hnnng, Sora and Daiki. -DIES-

As always, I need to apologize for any and all grammar mistakes, OOCness, and spelling errors that may have happened in the chapter!

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**Ficchii, thecoldforest, scarsneverheal, SunnyDorangejuice, anayu123, Tokine8696, rachel101448, FALLING-ANGEL24, XxZuiliu, IxLOVExALOISxTRANCYx, Jade Starlight, Deces, XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX, Sasame103, Inedible, I1am1the1best, luvJesusInHeavn, Fangirling Duck, R. Firefly, Guest, loquaciouslethality, NightCrescent, Ketsueko, sakura, nah, Mia Vinci, Guest, Amelia, Meatball-nii, Random Citizen, and bbymojo**

THANK YOU GUYS SOOOOO MUCH for your lovely support! I swear, you guys don't know how much I mean it when I say I appreciate it so much. (:

Also, thank you so much to everyone who favourited and alerted!

RESPONSES, GOGOGOGOGOGO!

To **Ficchii**;

ONLY YOU. HAHA. I just. I'm glad you loved the fighting scenes? I'm always so hesitant to write them out because I feel like I can't describe anything well. It all looks so nice in my mind when they actually MOVE, but then I try to put it into words and it comes out as bleh. Daiki is... yeah. He changed pretty fast, BUT IN HIS DEFENSE, he had to reflect a lot and he had a REALLY good, long lecture by... Certain individuals. OHOHOHO. (;  
>I think I started to love OCs a lot when I realized I hated almost every canon character in certain manga  anime, but hey, maybe that's just me. HAHA.  
>Asdghjklllllll. I don't deserve your high praises ;A; But thank you so much; it's very flattering, and I'm so touched and I feel so fuzzy on the inside that you'd think that.<br>[ I must agree with your thoughts on Kaito. He is one sexyass beast. ]  
>WELL, THE LONG WAIT HAS ENDED! I HAVE UPDATED! YAY!<br>And Trance is... adorable...? LOL. I THINK THAT'S THE FIRST TIME I'VE HEARD ANYONE SAY THAT ABOUT HIM. I just- Wha? What makes you say so? LOL.  
>Heterochromatic? -DIES- YOU'RE AMAZING. I ADORE YOU.<br>Thank you so much for always showing your support and being so lovely! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! ;D

To **thecoldforest**;

Actually, I'm so glad that you didn't use normal words. LOL. It made reading your thoughts so, SO fascinating! And honestly, I agree with you about cookies. I see cookies when I think about Ivy, too. And coffee. ;A;  
>NONO, I'm alive! Heterochromia is one of the fanfics that I have a ton of fun writing, so I won't be abandoning this anytime soon! XP Sorry for worrying you!<br>I finally updated, so I hope you enjoyyyyy! Also, thanks for your amazing encouragement and faith! (x

To **SunnyDorangejuice**;

LOOOOOOL. Ohmylord. I REALLY feel like I should stop talking about Yuuki in these responses because I always get so angry and bitter and I feel like I just end up bashing on her. Asdfghjkl. But I have to agree with everything you said about Yuuki. I just. I can't. There's so much anger. I loathe her so much. ;A; I still can't get over what happened in the last chapter of VK. I JUST. I CAN'T. NO. JUST NO. -SOBS-  
>OHMY, REALLY? To be honest, though I write fanfics, I never read them. -SLAPPED- So I wouldn't really know if any ZeroxOC fanfics have been popping up or how well-written they are. This makes me so sound so terrible and self-centered, but yeah. OTL.<br>Red icing. Adorationnn. I thought of ketchup and I was like, "NO, GOTTA BE MORE ORIGINAL THAN THAT" and then I thought about Ivy and then BAM. Icing. I love how you called everything. LMAO. I have to admit it was pretty cliche and predictable, though. BUT I HAD TO DO IT. I JUST HAD TO. ASDFGHJKL.  
>All five of your words to describe her? I APPROVE. -stamps your review- LOL.<br>And onto your second review;  
>I'VE FINALLY UPDATEDDDDDDD. I KNOW, IT TOOK ME FOREVER, BUT TA-DA!<br>It may or may not be pointless [ Who REALLY knows? (; ] but I think it's a very interesting topic to touch on! HAHA.  
>Ohman, Kenta... I adore Kenta and Ivy together, though. Like... I just. I can imagine it so well, and I think that they WOULD match so well together. The whole Kenta thing will be... mentioned. Frequently. Later. ;D<br>LMAO. I agree with you a hundred percent when it comes to Shiki and Ichijou, though. I mean, I think Ivy's amazing with ANYONE, but if I put Shiki and Ivy together or Ichijou and Ivy together, I would think that they wouldn't give off this amazing glow that would make all heads turn when they walk down the street together, y'know what I mean?  
>Aidou and Ivy would definitely be one of those bantering couples if they were to ever get together. And I think that they'd be so cute together just because Aidou is such a sweetie under his arrogant and cocky demeanour and I feel like Ivy would bring out the softness in him. I think I mentioned in another response once that if this was all human or something, Aidou and Ivy would always bicker and they'd fight and everyone would be able to tell, but at the end of the day, Aidou would be the one at the door to the classroom with a hand in a pocket, bag slung over his shoulder, and a slightly defiant look on his face as he goes, "Damnit, Ivy, what's taking you so long? Let's go." And they'd walk home together. THAT'S THE RELATIONSHIP THEY'D HAVE, AND ASDFGHJKL.<br>UGH, I CAN TOTALLY SEE KANAME AND IVY, TOO. I JUST. ASDFGHJKL. IF HE WASN'T SO FULLY AND SO DEEP IN LOVE WITH YUUKI, I COULD SEE ITTTTT. And I think that they would look amazing together, but I don't think that their relationship would be as cute or as amazing as Kenta and Aidou with Ivy. And I don't think it'd be as fluffy and sweet as her with Zero, either. But ohmy. I can TOTALLY see him being into her if Yuuki wasn't... yeah. -SIGH-  
>AL RIGGS, BBY. I can't even. Al is amazing. ;A; I have so many feelings when it comes to Al. I think he and Ivy would be so... overwhelmingly adorable. Simply because Al, just in himself, is very sexy. And Ivy's so innocent. And I feel like when they're together, it'd be like a combustion of both innocence and sexiness and it'd just be like a freakin' atmosphere explosion of amazing. ;D<br>For Zero and Ivy. I just. I mean, Zero's totally sexy and all, but the aura he gives off is a darker one, and it contrasts against Ivy's beaming one. I think that they'd be so amazing and adorable and lovely together because it's like... she'd walk into the room and you'd just be able to FEEL his mood brightening because of her being there. It's like Zero tries really hard to blend into the background, and she makes him take the spotlight? I don't know how to describe it. HAHA.  
>BUT YEEEEEEEEE, MAN.<br>Thank you for all your magnificent and amazing supportttttttt! I hope that you liked the latest chapter of Heterochromia! ;D

To **Tokine8696**;

Ohmy, I hope you've been okay lately... I mean, this update IS ridiculously late. OTL. For that, I'M SERIOUSLY SO SORRY. ASDFGHHJLK.  
>You PMed me about the ending, and ohmylord, I swear. I still stand by the fact that unless you want me to go off on a spiel about just how ASDGHARBONAWEOV?! I feel about the entire thing, then best not to ask. LOL.<br>I'm glad you think that Daiki's change was appropriate! I actually planned to have it a bit later, but alas, that didn't work out. HAHA. Oh, there was more than just one person who went to talk to the teen. (;  
>Actually, that's very true! Ivy and Zero just sorta get a feel of each other's moods and thoughts. They might not be exactly on point, but they get a really good idea even with silence. OHOHOHOHO. (x<br>I've finally updated and they've FINALLY reconciled, so YAAAAAAAAY! They had a rather long, deep conversation, so I hope the hint of fluff at the end made up for it. -EXCITED- I can't wait for the winter break sagaaaaaaaaa. -DIES- I hope you enjoyed their little chat as much as I did!  
>And I love how you gave me reasons as to why you chose those words to describe her! I'd say that Ivy being isolated is so very true and yet so very false, too. -SIGH- I adore her. ;A;<br>THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your faithful support! It means a lot to me! I hope that you enjoyed the latest update! (x

To **rachel101448**;

Yeah, he had sleepless nights thinking and reflecting about what happened. Not to mention the lectures and talks he got from certain people. ;D I'm glad you thought it made sense, though! I was so worried about everyone thinking it was so random and so rushed and- Blehhhh ;A;  
>Aww, c'mon. There's no way he COULDN'T have gotten a hug in that situation. It's just how the situation rolls, y'know? LOL.<br>Silent communication. ;D Same brain wavelengths. OHOHOHOHO. But they've finally reconciled, so YAYYY! I hope this makes up a bit for my late update xP  
>And errr... Shitsuren's latest chapter is still in the works! I'm SOOOO close to finishing, but even after finishing, I'd need to edit and then get it up and then write out my responses and I have NO idea how long that will take BUT I SWEAR I'LL UPDATE BEFORE SUMMER ENDS. ASDFGHJKL. I think that's the best I can offer. -SOBS- I'M SO SORRY.<br>ASDFASNBOANWEO. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING SO LOYAL. I can't even. Thank you. I hope that you enjoyed this latest chapter in the meantime! ;O

To **XxZuiliu**;

Aww, well, I'm glad you thought so! HAHA. Yeah, I initially planned for his realization to come later with a lot more struggle and difficulty on his part, but then... it didn't work out. SO TA-DA! I like to think that it's just he had really good lectures and talks by certain people. OHOHOHO. (; I love how he was such a jerk at first, but he's really just so... asdfghjkl. Oh, Daiki. I adore Sora so much, too.  
>Actually, YES. LOL. I love how everyone adores how in tune they are with each other. It's amazing. ;A; And it's amazing how everyone notices. XDD<br>They FINALLY reconciled, so I hope you enjoyed itttt. (x  
>Ohmy. I think that "fragile" or "delicate" are words that I would definitely include when it comes to describing Ivy. Or maybe "breakable." And there are so many reasons and I just. ASDFGHJKL. You have no idea how much fun I had reading what everyone's responses were, and I just kinda sat there afterwards thinking about everything. It was wonderful. HAHA.<br>I updated at last! YAY! So I hope you liked the latest chapter, and thank you SO much for you lovely support all the time! (:

To **XxXAkumaNoTenshiXxX**;

Reckless. Ohmy. You don't even know. HAHA.  
>LOL, MY REPLY TO YOUR REVIEWS ARE SUPER LONG 'CAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH TO SAY. ASDFGHJKL. Like... We both talk a lot and we're both super random and digress. Maybe that's why. ;D<br>OH, IS IT? I never thought it could mean that, but now that I do... -GASPS- Welp, I learned something new today in relations to the otaku world! THANK YOU. ;D  
>And ohmylord. I KNOW. Sometimes I feel like there's some underlying Aidou and Yuuki shit going on and I'm just like NO. JUST NO. Even having Aidou think of Yuuki as a younger sister to me is just too much. IT'S TOO MUCHHHH. I JUST CAN'T. I feel like Aidou and Yuuki's relationship should strictly just be, "I'M YOUR BABYSITTER, NOW SIT YO ASS DOWN." But then again, I DO have a very fond feeling for Aidou and a MUCH less than fond feeling for Yuuki, so... BIAS. -SHOT-<br>With VK ending, that "working together more often" thing? Yeah... WELL... ASDFGHJKL. -FLIPS TABLES- I can't talk about the ending. I flipped shit when I read it and I got to school and I was talking to my friends about it and I went crazy. I think I may or may not have scared everyone in the area.  
>Once you get past Daiki's, "OH, ALL VAMPIRES ARE EVILLLLLLL!" front and get to know him, I'd say he's... adorable. HAHA.<br>I use "delicious" as a compliment all the time. ;D [ EspeciallywhentalkingaboutmenIMEANWHAT. ]  
>Sora is just. SO MUCH LOVE FOR HIM. LOL.<br>I hope your heart has been mended in the time that I haven't updated! ;O  
>Thank you so much for you lovely reviews and your amazing support! I appreciate it so much! I hope you enjoyed this latest updateeee! (x<p>

To **Sasame103**;

HAHA, don't even worry about it! Honestly, I wouldn't have even known if you hadn't told me. XP  
>Ohmy. Daiki has been a jerk up 'til recently, but is it wrong of me to love him BECAUSE he was such an asshat? Like... The change. I just. ASDFGHJK. I've grown fond of Daiki even though I hadn't originally liked him much either, despite creating him. And I've always loved Sora, ever since I saw a flash of his eyes popping up in my mind. -ROLLS OVER AND DIES A BIT-<br>Aw man, I don't even know, but I'm so happy that you'd think my OCs are like that and that you love them. ;A; It means so much.  
>Actually, I sat myself down for a while and tried to think of different weapons for everyone. LMAO. I mean, there were some where I just KNEW what they had. I think that when it came to Ivy, I knew exactly what I wanted her to use. Trance, too. I just KNEW. Same with Lydia and Sora, as well as Lyle. I think the hardest part about the weapons are their names. LOL. Rixelvelt came rather easily, as did Trance's Saldius and Kaveil. Ohmy. And Satoshi's weapon's name came rather easily, too. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT ANYMORE. OTLLL. ASDGNAWEOB.<br>And HAHA, I'm glad that you like how I take things slowly! But I gotta admit, it might be a pretty long, LONG road until we reach the end of Ivy and Zero's story. Just a fair warning. ;A;  
>LOOOL. You'll find out who visited him eventually. (;<br>I LOVE YOUR FIVE WORDS. I think that "fragile" and "charming" are definitely ones I'd pick if I had to do use five words to describe her, too. LOL. Or maybe instead of charming, I'd say "lovely" but y'know. HAHA.  
>OHMYGOD. PLEASE DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THIS. THE LAST CHAPTER OF VK JUST DESTROYED ME IN SO MANY WAYS. DUDE. SHETOOKZERO'SVIRGINITYLIKEHOWISTHISEVENPOSSIBLEGOD DAMNIT. ASDFGHHJLK! I have to give her props for what she did at the end, BUT EVERYTHING ELSE PISSED ME OFF. EVERYTHING. Like... I can't even. The way she got with Zero made me feel like she only chose him 'cause Kaname died. And BLOODY HELL, I JUST. THEIR CHILDREN. WHAT. HOW WAS THERE RANDOMLY A CURE ANYWAYS. WHY WOULD KANAME JUST STOP WORKING ON THAT. I JUST-<br>-BREATHES-  
>I love Kaname. It's official. I very much agree with you on this. (x<br>And HAHA, about the drawings... There's no rush! I'm not going anywhere, and neither are my characters! Take your time; I know that life can get super busy! And besides, school should come first. XP But THANK YOU SO MUCH. I CAN'T EVEN. I'm so happy that you haven't given up on doing art for me. I'M SO THANKFUL. ASDNVOAEWNBOWAEB.  
>And I'm also SO, SOOO glad to know that you're still supporting me! So thank you so much and I can't even. Asdfghjkl. I hope you liked the latest chapter! (x<p>

To **Inedible**;

TRUST ME. You have no idea how much I think I understand how you felt when you read the chapter. I went cowshit crazy for a while, and it was NOT pretty. Admittedly, my friends found it amusing, but y'know. ;A;  
>And no, they're not alive in this. When I said that Kaname didn't go on his killing streak, I meant he didn't go on his Pureblood killing streak. Like... He didn't lose his shit. LOL. When he killed the council, wasn't it to save Zero or something? That happened back before Yuuki even turned Pureblood, so y'know. It happened in this. HAHA.<br>Thank you for asking and sharing your thoughts with me! I hope you enjoyed the latest update of Heterochromia! (:

To **luvJesusInHeavn**;

LOL, IT'S OKAYYYY. Don't worry about it, I'm like that too... Most of the time. XP  
>Why thank you! I'm so glad you think so!<br>And HAHA. I knowwww. I feel like it's through their hard work and struggling that they become a second family though, y'know what I mean? They've all gotten so close 'cause they all put their blood and sweat into it and they understand each other like that. I think it's like that in real life, too. Bonds created from going through hardships together. ;D  
>Dudeee, I'm so happy to know people like my fight scenes 'cause half the time I'm just like, "Ohmy, noo..." HAHA.<br>I feel like Daiki's the kinda character that WILL grow on people eventually. Just after they get through his jerk front. ;D  
>OHMYGOD. PLEASE DON'T EVEN. If you can find my reply to Sasame103, you'll know a bit about how I feel and I JUST. I CAN'T TALK ABOUT THIS WITHOUT RANTING. LOL. ASDOBNAWEOBNWEOABWEBMPWE. TOO MANY THOUGHTS. ;A;<br>I'm delighted to hear from you all the time, so thank you for always gracing me with your lovely presence! HAHA. I hope you enjoyed the latest chapterrrrr! (x

To **Fangirling Duck**;

I'M ALIVEEE. THIS UPDATE TOOK FOREVER, BUT I'M ALIVEEEEEEE! HAHA. There's no need to worry; I adore Heterochromia and I love my OCs to bit, so I refuse to abandon this story before it's complete! ASDFGHJKL.  
>Ohmygod. The last chapter. I just. I can't. If you want to read a TINY bit of how I thought about it, if you can find my reply to Sasame103 which is up a bit, then you'll get a glimpse of my feelings. ASDFGHJKL. Cannot. ;A;<br>LMAO. WELL, gotta love characters that remind you of your loved ones, right? ;D  
>OHMY. I'M SO HAPPY YOU LIKE THEM. LOL. I feel like I just keep slapping people in the face with more and more OCs and I'm just like, "I NEED TO STOP" but then I go write and more pop up and ASDFGHJKL. THERE'S MORE AKAHANA AND THERE'S LYLE IN THIS CHAPTER. YOU LIKE? ;D I adore Lyle. I think he's so cute. LOL.<br>Er... Well... -looks at the month- BUT HEYHEYHEY, I TRIED TO INCLUDE A TON OF AWESOMENESS, SO TA-DA! ;D ;D ;D Does this make up for my ridiculously late update? OTL.  
>Borderline-insane? I have to agree to that. HAHA. Nice choice of words. (;<br>Thank you so much for your amazing support and lovely words, as always! I laugh whenever I read your reviews 'cause I just adore you. ;D I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromiaaaaaaa! (:

To **Ketsueko**;

OHOHOHO, why hello there! ;D  
>HAHA, so you've read Shitsuren? I'm actually more in love with this story than that one, but then again, maybe it's just me. ASDFGHJKL. Though I adore Shiki beyond comprehension. -SHOT-<br>I'm glad you love this story, as well as how you're accepting to my onslaught of OCs. HAHA. I love them all, so I'm hoping everyone else does, too. xP  
>YOU FOUND IT FUNNY? YES! LOL. I feel like I suck at writing humour 'cause my humour is just so... odd? Like, I don't know. People that know me in real life might say I'm funny, but I can't WRITE humour. It just doesn't work out. ;A;<br>Thank you for your complimentssssss! (x  
>And thank you so much for taking the time to drop me a review with your thoughts on Heterochromia! I appreciate it a lot, and I hope that you liked the latest chapter! (x<p>

To **sakura**;

Oh, is that how it happened? I don't even know anymore. I watched the VK manga a LONG time ago, and the thing is... In the manga, the timeskip of one year made Zero eighteen. Which meant that the current year meant Zero was seventeen. Taking four years away means Zero was thirteen at the time he was bitten, but maybe I just totally ignored a much of stuff and was like, "EHHH" which is most likely what happened. To be honest, I'm not stickler for details when it comes to age and stuff especially 'cause I'm personally not a huge van of VK's plot regardless.  
>BUT!<br>Thank you for pointing that out to me! HAHA. Well, we'll just ignore all that and just say that EX5 were the first ones and yada-yada-yada, 'kay? ;D  
>I'm taking Zero and Ivy's relationship slow. HAHA. After all, falling out of love with someone can't possibly be that easy. And from the manga, well. CLEARLY Zero's ridiculously head-over-heels in love with Yuuki. xP<br>I'm so glad you love my OCs! ;D  
>And thank you for your review and for correcting me on something I wasn't even aware of! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! ;D<p>

To **nah**;

Your compliments and praises will inflate my ego too much ;A; But thank you so much! I'm very touched that you think o highly of my writing and of this story! (x  
>Aw man, you don't even know how much I love Ivy's interactions with EVERYONE. HAHA. I always have so much fun writing about her with others, it's amazing.<br>It's both rare and not rare that Ivy doesn't get along with someone, and there are so many reasons for it. ASDFGHJLK. -sigh- However, Trance and her issue will be revealed sometime in the future. ;D  
>For a moment, I was so confused 'cause I was like, "That wasn't the question for the latest chapter" and then I realized you answered one from another chapter, which is totally fine! HAHA. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me on it!<br>And also, thank you for dropping me a review! It really makes me happy! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia! (x

To **Mia Vinci**;

WELL, it took me a while, but I finally updated! HAHA. There weren't THAT many ZeroxIvy moments in this chapter, but at least they reconciled! ;D All the fluff and stuff will come later on, especially during the winter break arc, I'd say. (x Plus Tashiro family all day every dayyyyy! -GRINS-  
>I'm glad you didn't think Daiki's transformation was rushed! I was so worried about it. HAHA.<br>And ohmy. I seriously can't wait to reveal what happened between Trance and Ivy. IT'S SO COMPLICATED BUT IT'S SO SIMPLE BUT SO COMPLEX BUT SO EASY AND ASDNOVAWENBOWAEB. There's so much. LOL. My feelingssssss. ;A;  
>Ohmygod. You don't even know. I wrote a bit about how I felt in a response to Sasame103, if you can find it or would like to. It's just a very brief glimpse into my mind about the last chapter. Even to this day, I seriously just. I can't talk about it without flipping my shit. LOL.<br>BADASS. HELL TO THE YES. I APPROVE. ;D  
>Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me! It means a lot, and I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! (:<p>

To **Meatball-nii**;

Argh, I know. FINALLY. HAHA. And ohmy. I can't wait for that arc. ASDFGHJK. I have no idea how many chapters left, but there's only four days until the end of training camp, soooo. I'm hoping it'll be sometime soon. ;A; I adore all my little campers, but THE TASHIRO FAMILY. HNNNNG. I WANT TO WRITE ABOUT THEM. ASDFGHJKL.  
>LOL. Well, with this chapter, Zero and Ivy ARE finally on speaking terms! HOORAY! I have to admit that Daiki did change pretty quick, though. HAHA. And I've loved Sora from the moment I thought about creating him. Ohmy. He's just so. I ADORE HIM. I love how he acts like her older brother even though he's younger by, like, four years. HAHA.<br>I'm glad! Ohmygoodness. I always fear writing fight scenes 'cause I feel like I can't ever describe it right. I can't put my vision of the fight into words and it turns out as a garbled, spewed-out mess. As for Sora's weapons, I just KNEW. It was just HIM. Kinda like Rixelvelt for Ivy, and Saldius and Kaveil for Trance. Satoshi's Lavidette was like that, too. I didn't even need to think about what they used. It just kinda came to me. HAHA. As for Daiki's... I don't know. I thought that it would be so different from his portrayed character, I just wanted an element of surprise, I guess? -SHOT-  
>I'M TOTALLY BIASED TOO, GIRL. LOL. NO WORRIES. But damn, yeah. I can't even. I feel like I should give Yuuki more slack and all, but I CAN'T. This passionate LOATHING I have for her just won't fade no matter what. I gotta admit, though- I give her props for what she did at the end. For Kaname. BUT I'M SO ANGRY AT THE SAME TIME AND ARGHHH. Like, I felt like she chose Zero just 'cause Kaname died. THAT'S WHAT IT FELT LIKE. It felt like she opted for him simply 'cause the one she was with at that moment already passed away and I just can't. I CAN'T. ;A;<br>You're the second person who said badass, I think, and I APPPPPROOOVE!  
>Thank you so much for showing me your support again and I appreciate it so much! I love hearing from you, and I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! (:<p>

To **Random Citizen**;

ASDFGHJKl, awwww. Thank you! I'm so touched by your compliments and praises! (:  
>Man, keeping the VK characters IN character is such a difficult thing for me and I'm not even completely sure why. It just IS. ;A; I'm glad to know that I'm doing it halfway decently, though. HAHA.<br>And LOOOL, that IS kinda weird, but hey, who isn't? ;D  
>HOHOHO, thank you! I'm super duper proud of my OCs and I love them all to death. I'm glad that so many of my readers also love them just the same! (:<br>I swear, I just haven't revealed anything yet. HAHA. That's probably it. XP So don't sweat itttt!  
>Ohmygod, thank YOU for your amazingly generous and lovely praises! I can't even. ASDFGHJKL. Thank you so much. Really. ;A; And thank you for being a faithful reader of Shitsuren too! (:<br>Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me! I was very delighted to hear your thoughts and I hope to hear from you again! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter of Heterochromia! (:

END OF RESPONSES.

GUYSSS. I'M SO SORRY THAT I SKIP OUT ON PEOPLE WHEN I DO THESE RESPONSES. I FEEL SO INCREDIBLY GUILTY. But holy, every time I do a response section, I add over two thousand words to the document and it takes FOREVER for me to type them because I sit here and think for a while and asdfghhjkl. Plus there are more and more reviews and more and more walls of text and I feel like I'm just making everyone's eyes bleed by typing them out like this.

SO I'M SO SORRY. -SOBS- I hope that you guys can understand? ;A;

I wanted to thank everyone that participated in my question for the last chapter! I had so much fun reading what everyone had to say, and ohmy, I agree with so many of you on what you guys saiddddd. It was crazy. HAHA. I would have no idea how I'd describe Ivy with just five words, 'cause I feel like there's so much to say. But I think that "charming / lovely" along with "fragile / delicate" and "badass" would definitely be on the list. So I have two words left and I still have no idea. -DIES-

This time's question is...

**QUESTION: What's your ideal situation when it comes to Zero and Ivy getting together / sharing their first kiss? ;D**

I actually already know how it's gonna go down, but I'm SO CURIOUS about what you guys are hoping and imagining it'd be like. HAHA. I think that this is a really fun question, so please drop me a review with your thoughts or maybe hit me up with a PM!

I just... yeah. I'm hoping to update soon. But I said that last time and asdfghjkl. BUT I'LL TRY SUPER HARD.

[ No promises though. ;A; ]

See you guys soon! [ Hopefully ]

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	24. Castle of Shadows

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight or any of its characters. All rights belong solely to Matsuri Hino. I also don't anything you may recognize.**

**A/N:**

... HELLO!

It has most definitely been a long time, and I have no excuses for my absence. I'm really sorry about not being able to update in the past few months! However, I definitely have never forgotten about Zero and Ivy's story, and I found myself writing over super slowly over the course of the handful of months.

As always, life has been super busy and it's extremely difficult to balance everything going on, but I'm thinking I can sort of get it together? HAHA. [ **On a sidenote to anyone who reads my author's notes, out of curiosity, would any of you care if I made a YT channel? Because... I might have. Just maybe. **]

ANYWAYS. I hope that you guys have been doing OK with your lives over the past few months, and I apologize sincerely once again for my lack of updates! If you guys were having a bad day, I hope this update has made it a bit brighter for you, and I thank you guys so much for waiting for my updates and being faithful!

Without further ado, ENJOY!

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR;**

_"Castle of Shadows"_

* * *

><p><strong>TRAINING CAMP—DAY ELEVEN [ NIGHT ]<strong>

Wrapping their arms around me, Hisako and Lettie gave me a firm embrace, seeming to temporarily forget that it caused me pain. I tried not to wince, but from the way they immediately let go and started apologizing, it was clear that I hadn't succeeded very well. I laughed, dismissing their apologies. It took a while, but I managed to coax the two ladies back to the dorms to rest up for tomorrow.

When the two of them disappeared around the corner, I turned back to face the front, only to be met with Lyle and Mitsuru. Both of them still looked so guilty, their expressions full of remorse and their eyes dark with sorrow. Grimaces pulled at their lips, their heads hanging and their hands balled up into tight fists.

Before they could even say anything—they had been like this throughout the entire training day—I lightly ruffled both their heads and smiled brightly when they looked up at me. "Stop it, you guys! I'm honestly okay. I'm not sure if you guys forgot, but I _am_ a vampire. My regenerative abilities are faster than a normal hunter's, and I'll be fine after a short rest. Really. And besides, it's not like it was either of your faults."

"B-But we could've—"

Shaking my head, the smile on my face turned soft as I looked at Mitsuru. "The reactions that you two had were completely normal. Being scared when coming across a real vampire for the first time ever is natural—I'd say that ninety-eight percent of hunters have the exact same reaction, whether they're older or not. Very few people would have been able to do anything."

"A-Are you okay?" Lyle asked hesitantly, his eyes widening after the last word left his mouth. Immediately, more words hastily tumbled out of his mouth. "I-I mean, of course you're not totally _okay_, but _w-will_ you be?"

Amused, I laughed and poked him in between his knotted eyebrows with an index finger, causing him to let out a small yelp and his hands to fly up to where I had tapped him. "Weren't you listening?" I teased. "I'm going to be fine, Lyle. I'm not dying or anything. If I was, I wouldn't be here talking to you, would I?"

His face flushed crimson, and for the first time in a long, _long_ time, I felt my throat ache a bit more than usual. The smell of blood that wafted in the air affected me more than it should've, and although I knew why, I was still surprised at it. Since I always had some of _his_ blood inside of me, I never felt the desire to drink blood. During the rare moments that I did, the burning sensation felt so _unfamiliar_. It hurt, and I couldn't even imagine how it was like for Zero. It must be excruciating for the silver-haired hunter to have to deal with such a feeling _every single day_.

"T-That's true," Lyle murmured, his voice dying off near the end. He glanced down and fiddled with his fingers.

Beaming at the two, I ruffled their hair once more and pulled them in lightly for a brief embrace before pulling away. "Stop worrying, okay? Go get some rest—it's getting late! I promise you guys that I'll get a good night's rest and be practically back at one-hundred percent tomorrow, so rest easy."

"Okay," they chimed simultaneously, the reluctance in their voices making my lips stretch a bit wider. They kept looking back at me as they left, obviously unconvinced at what I had said, but they no longer looked too stiff, and they held their heads back up now. It was nice to know that they weren't going to beat themselves up _too_ much more.

"Only two percent of hunters don't freeze up when they see their first vampire?" Daiki asked, approaching me with his eyebrows raised. His voice sounded like a mixture between incredulous, worried, and curious. Sora followed a few steps behind the older trainee, hands in his pockets and his dark hair falling into his eyes again.

I nodded and elaborated, "Adults usually freeze up for a few seconds before regaining their composure, but for the first handful of seconds, they _are_ too scared to move. For this age group, not being able to gather yourself within a couple of brief heartbeats is absolutely normal."

"Do you think there are people in this camp that would be able to take action right away?" Daiki asked. He stared at me solemnly, his gold eyes meeting mine. From the way his posture straightened, it was clear that he was hoping I would say that _he_ could.

"Yes." I paused for a quick heartbeat before admitting, "But you wouldn't be one of those people, Daiki."

"_What_?" He sounded so stunned, I felt a tinge of guilt for being so brutally honest with him. He blinked his eyes at me, his eyebrows furrowing together. I knew that he wasn't _angry_ at my words, but it clearly kicked his ego down a few notches.

A sheepish, apologetic smile crossed my face. "Sorry, Daiki, but the thing is—you're not the type of person who likes surprises. They throw you off for a while, and you're not good with scary things either."

Pink adorned his cheeks when he thought back to last night during the test of courage. He opened his mouth, like he wanted to object, but then shut it again. Sighing in resignation, he muttered, "I guess..." After a short pause, he asked, "Who do you think would be able to do it, then?"

I stared up at the fourteen-year-old for a moment before I tilted sideways a bit to look at the person standing a few footsteps behind him. Smiling, I answered, "Sora."

"Knew it," Daiki mumbled under his breath, looking over his shoulder at the thirteen-year-old, who merely stared back at us without much expression on his face. "That's why you gave him the anti-vampire dagger last night and not me."

Nodding slowly, I made a pathetic attempt to explain it. "It's just—Sora, you're really—although I'm not a hundred percent certain, you just—"

"Sora has the fastest reaction rate out of everyone, both physically and mentally," a smooth voice interrupted, sounding from behind me. My eyes widened slightly, because he wasn't exactly the type to cut into conversations like this. The two males in front of me shifted their gaze to Zero, listening intently. "And so far, he's been intrepid, yet rational. This balance of qualities is seen in almost the entire two-percent population that aren't petrified."

"Huh," was Daiki's contemplative, noncommittal response. He folded his arms across his chest, a pensive look on his face.

"And you two?" Sora asked, his voice quiet. For a moment, his question didn't make sense to me. I had no idea what he was asking me about, but then it hit me, and before I could stop myself, I looked over my shoulder at Zero. His lips had pulled themselves into a grimace, his jaw tight and his eyes downcast. Looking at him, I felt my heart clench inside my chest.

I didn't allow Zero time to speak as I smiled brightly at Sora. "My _very_ first encounter with a real vampire was when I was too young to know what was going on, so I didn't freeze up. But when I was actually old enough to know that what I was dealing with was a vampire, I have to admit that I_ was _too scared to move for a while. Zero met his first vampire when he was really young, too. When he came across another vampire when he was older—well, specifics aren't important, but Zero's part of the two percent that weren't scared out of their wits."

Speaking about Zero's past would bring him back terrible memories. It wasn't a wide-known fact in the Association that the reason Yagari lost an eye was to protect Zero from a Level E. Undoubtedly, it was a terrible experience for both of them. Even now, I was sure that Zero still felt guilty and responsible for Yagari's injury. I was starting to think that guilt and remorse was an innate quality when it came to the lavender-eyed vampire.

I didn't quite know when Zero met up with his first vampire and actually _knew_ it, but back when we were in our pre-teen years, they still brought the trainees out on real raids. I remembered being terrified by the Level Es and their bloodlust, but even back then, Zero had been practically famous. Not only was he the son born into the prestigious Kiriyuu clan, he and Ichiru were identical twins, an incredibly rare occurrence. The story of his first official raid had spread like wildfire through everyone, because he hadn't even batted an eyelash before he shot. Satoshi and Lydia had been on the same raid team as him, and they told me the story. He had been absolutely dauntless, from what they could tell.

"I see," Sora commented. Through the small gaps in his strands of hair, his brilliant azure eyes scrutinized Zero steadily. There was a look on his face that I couldn't quite place, because while it didn't look like _admiration_, it also wasn't anything negative nor neutral.

Daiki smirked at me. "You choked up when you were younger."

I rolled my eyes at him in mock anger. "At least I didn't scream yesterday night because of fake props," I shot back, a grin stretching across my face.

Flushing again, Daiki exclaimed, "Can you stop bringing that up already?!"

"You started it." I didn't realize how childish I sounded until the words had already left my lips. Daiki and I stared at each other for a moment, blank expressions on our faces. When Sora coughed in order to hide what sounded like a slight chuckle, both Daiki and I looked at him before bursting out into laughter.

"Sorry to be a party-pooper," Gin piped as he strode over to us, an amused smile tugging at his lips, "but it's time you two get yourselves into bed. The big, scary adults need to have a chat and I'm not a machine like Ivy, so I like getting my beauty sleep."

"Trance is _fourteen_," Daiki pointed out. "I don't think that classifies as 'adult.'"

"Ivy and Emi-san are only three or four years older," Sora added.

Gin waved a hand dismissively. "Technicalities, technicalities! But really, you guys should go get some sleep. You guys can talk more about your super awesome vampire hunting skills tomorrow."

"Fine, fine," Daiki sighed, pouting just slightly. I let out a small laugh at his expression, and he made a face at me, but he dropped it as quickly as he let it plaster itself onto his face. His arms hovered around for a moment before they dropped, and then he lifted his hand again, letting it float around me.

I stared at him, completely bewildered. "Um, Daiki, what's wrong?"

Immediately, he dropped his hand back to his side, his fingers curling to create a fist. His jaw seemed to be clenched and his face turned dark crimson as he muttered, "It's nothing."

"Are you sure?" My eyebrows pulled together as I analyzed him carefully. Gin let out an awful noise, and when I looked over at him, he had turned his back toward us, his body shaking silently. I stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded, before deciding my concern was Daiki.

"_Yes_, I'm sure," he insisted.

Sora sighed, bringing our attention to him. Wordlessly, he walked up to me, lightly pushing the light-haired brunette out of the way. I looked up at him, still mystified. Without giving me a chance to say anything, Sora looped his arms around my shoulders in a loose, brief embrace before stepping back before I could return it. Stunned, all I could do was stare wide-eyed at the talented teen.

Swivelling around, he seemed to give Daiki a pointed look before stuffing his hands back inside his pockets. "Feel better," he told me, giving me a brief glance over his shoulder before continuing towards the staircase. "Good night."

"G-Good night," I stammered after him, watching his relaxed figure. It wasn't long before Daiki had pivoted around and stormed after the sapphire-orbed trainee, looking a bit more agitated than before. I didn't have a chance to ask him what the matter was before he had already disappeared up to the second floor.

When Zero, Gin, and I were the only ones left in the room, I frowned and stood up from my seat. "What was _that_ about?"

Gin let out a dramatic sigh and slung an arm across my shoulders, bringing me close to his side. "Oh, Ivy, Ivy, Ivy..."

I shot him a strange look. "What is it?"

"I honestly don't understand how you seem to know so much about everyone, but the most common thoughts never seem to cross your mind." Amusement shone in his voice, his lips pulled upwards.

"What do you mean?" I was only getting more and more confused. It was like everyone was _trying_ to bewilder me rather than give me answers.

"Let's go," Zero said before Gin could reply. The vampire hunter turned and began heading towards the hallway that had all our rooms attached to it. We had agreed to meet in Emi's room for our little talk, because it was the largest.

When we entered, everyone else was already there. There wasn't anything extraordinarily special about Emi's room—the walls were like the rest of the log cabin, her window facing the same direction mine did. Her bed was twin-sized since this room was large enough to accommodate it, and the comforter was a dark red colour embroidered with gold patterns. She had two rather comfy-looking armchairs pushed into the corner at the foot of her bed, facing it. They were angled in towards each other a little bit rather than being strictly side by side. Her desk was pushed up right next to the head of her bed, and her drawer right next to it. The floor had been carpeted a soft white, while the furniture was a dark oak colour that, although didn't look brand new, gave off a rather regal aura.

Emi herself was, naturally, seated on the neatly made bed, an impatient look on her face. Nao had seated himself in one of the armchairs, leaning his head back a bit with his eyes closed. He didn't open them even when he heard us entering the room. Trance stood leaning against the edge of the desk. His arms were folded across his chest, his head turned to look out the window.

Upon entering, Gin and I apologized for being late. The twenty-eight-year-old male took a seat on the bed, leaving space between himself and Emi. Zero rested his back against the wall, placing his hands into the pockets of his dark sweats. I meandered over to where Nao was, flopping down into the armchair next to him.

When we were all settled, silence remained for a minute or two. It was a somewhat tense, dark silence. I stared down at my lap and tightly clasped hands, feeling something heavy enter my heart once more. A lump seemed to have formed in my throat, not going away no matter how much I swallowed.

"So," Gin broke the stillness, glancing around. "Does anyone have any idea why some aristocrats decided to pay us a visit yesterday night?"

"It's not an accident, that's for sure," Emi answered right away, her tone fierce. "There's no way they would be able to break the wards we set up so easily. The fact that they didn't come back with an army while we set them back up is a miracle."

"It's not a miracle," Trance stated flatly. "It's suspicious. They'll be back."

Slowly, I shook my head. Anxiety piled up inside of me, followed by dread, by horror, by regret and sorrow and everything else I didn't want to feel but always did. "They won't be back."

"How are you sure?" Emi demanded, the frown in her voice.

I leaned my head back against the armchair and unclasped my hands, dragging them down my face before running them through my hair. I let out a sigh, keeping my eyes cast off to the side. "Because this happens every once in a while."

"_What_ happens every once in a while?" The impatience in the grey-eyed female was evident. I could feel her scowl and glower embedding themselves into my skin.

For a moment, I couldn't say anything. Everything seemed to go black so that I couldn't see anything, but the moment I realized this, it was gone. My entire body was so rigid, it almost hurt. I could hear my blood rushing through my ears, could feel my heart thumping against my chest like it was trying to break out of my body.

If I told them, what would they say? I could almost imagine the looks they would have on their faces, the silence that would ensue. I could picture Emi seething with rage and accusation, could hear Gin asking me why I had never told him earlier, could feel Trance's cold, unfathomable gaze burning me inside out, could imagine Zero's eyes widen just slightly at the new information he had obtained. It was cowardly of me, but a part of me wanted to lie to them in order to avoid talking about it.

But what good would that do?  
><em><br>Besides, _the reasonable side of my mind murmured, _don't they deserve to know? _

So I inhaled deeply and exhaled loudly, gathering up enough courage to tell them the truth in a comprehensible manner rather than breaking everything apart in frustration and anger. "Every once in a while," I forced through clenched teeth, "_he_ likes to send people to check up on us to make sure we're still alive."

"'_He?_'" Surprisingly, it was Zero who asked.

Nao answered before I could. His tone was absolutely glacial. It was battered with so much hate, so much resentment, that I was almost surprised that his lips weren't bruised by the words as they left him. "Shoto Seiichi, the Pureblood that turned us."

For a moment, silence ruled over everyone once more. Even the _air_ seemed to still. Electricity practically danced between everyone, their bodies immediately tensing. I almost flinched at the sound of his name, but I managed to control my reaction in time. I knew that it couldn't be possible, but the place where he bit me seemed to burn.

"_Why_?" Gin was the first one to speak, his voice shocked and sharp with incredulity. When I snuck a glance at him, I saw the startled, yet solemn look that decorated his face. His eyes were so piercing, so serious. It wasn't like him at all.

"Because he finds us amusing," I mumbled, my hands clenching together again. An image of the Pureblood flashed through my mind, but it disappeared just as rapidly. I could almost hear his deep, smooth voice uttering words that made me feel like I was being torn in half. The urge to reach up and block my ears was almost too much to bear. From what I heard, he wasn't anything like Shoto Isaya, his older brother.

Nao scoffed harshly, the sound ripping through his throat. "More like the disgusting bastard wants to make sure his toys are still available for him when he wants to play."

My lips thinned, eyes narrowing slightly. "It's the first time... that they targeted anyone besides us." All the other times we had "bumped into" his followers, any physical battles we engaged in were solely between us and them. Other people had never been involved before. And if we didn't end up fighting each other with our weapons and fists and abilities, we ended up verbally ripping one another's heads off. They always aimed for psychological damage—they always tried hurting us by stomping on our nerves.

But they were never as good at it as he was.

"How are you so certain that they're his peasants?" Emi's voice was so sharp, it could've cut through miles of stone. Her eyes were lighted in fury, a fire ignited there that was almost too bright to look at. "If you're just being self-centered, then this is ridiculous! The kids could get—"

"What," I interrupted her quietly, barely able to keep my voice calm, "would we get by lying to you? And about _this_?" I tried to ignore the way my voice shook despite all the effort I put into steadying it.

"Shut up, Nakaoka," was Nao's less than friendly response. "You're making a fool of yourself."

"Before they escaped, the girl... She said to me, 'Shoto-sama will be happy to know his favourite is still the same.'" My face contorted as I quoted her, and I let out another ragged sigh. Forcing the words past the lump in my throat, I added, "I called Al yesterday afterwards. He said they came to him, too. He had been with Junko at the time. Cheryl didn't pick up when I called her, but she called me back this morning saying she had a similar experience. It's not a mere coincidence, Emi."

The white-haired vampire hunter next to me sounded frosty and exasperated as he notified everyone, "This is a complete and utter waste of time. They won't be coming back. Sitting here and holding a pointless meeting when we already know the outcome is beyond idiotic."

"Even _if_ they're his subordinates, how are you so sure that they won't come back?" Emi's light brown hair almost seemed to bristle as she stared at Nao and I, a deep scowl marring her pretty features.

I couldn't read her thoughts at all, but then again, I had never tried that hard to understand my fellow seventeen-year-old comrade. From the very day I had met her, she had hated me. I never understood why, and she never gave me a reason whenever I asked. Through the years, I had just gotten so used to her insults and her cold behaviour that it never bothered me much anymore, so I ended up not pestering her about her reasons. Yet, looking at her now, I realized that perhaps I shouldn't have just brushed her attitude off so easily. Maybe I should've persevered and been more persistent for an answer.

If I had found out, would I have changed and the two of us would be friends now?

"I'm not sure how many times I'll have to repeat this to get it through your unsurprisingly thick skull, but they never come back. Ever." Nao's voice broke me out of my reverie, his voice soaking with more and more impatience as more and more agitation weaved itself into his words. His crimson orbs were narrowed into a piercing glower that would've knocked Emi dead before anyone could even blink if looks could kill.

"They never attacked other people until now, either," Emi threw back angrily. "_Last time_ isn't the same as _this time_."

"Then feel free to enlighten the rest of us on why they haven't come—"

"I'm always awake," I interrupted Nao, ignoring the glower he shot at me. I looked up to meet Emi's ferocious glare with a grave expression on my face. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll go patrolling around to make sure that there are no hitches in the wards and to make sure none of them are coming. I can sense them better than normal hunters, and if they're coming, I'll let you guys know."

A noisy sound of disbelief fell from Emi's lips. "That doesn't make me feel _any_ better! Purebloods have the power to manipulate those who have tasted their blood, and you _obviously_ have litres of that within your system. It's not possible to trust you with a task when you could betray us so easily. It doesn't _matter_ if you sincerely don't wish to do us harm. The reality of the situation is that he won't give a damn and how _you _feel doesn't mean _anything_ when it comes to corporeal manipulation."

"Then what do you want us to do?" I asked her flatly, not even batting an eyelash at her lengthy response. She hadn't told me anything I didn't already know and was painfully aware of. "Do you want us to put an end to this training camp for something that _might_ happen? Do you want someone besides Nao and I to patrol around, even though _we're_ the ones he'd want, if he ever _did_ decide to come? We can handle a few aristocrats, Emi."

"And if the disgusting Pureblood decides to show up?" Her chin lifted in a challenge, her eyes fierce. "Do you think we can take him on while having to protect thirty students that will surely be in a panic?"

"Simple," I answered lightly. I raised my eyebrows at her before gesturing to everyone in the room aside from Nao. "You guys can protect the students while Nao and I—"

"Go to murder the sick bastard in the most painful and merciless way possible," he finished for me, though he put it in a much more brutal way than I would've.

"No." I jolted, slightly surprised by the sound of his voice. I turned and looked at Zero, whose body was so tense and scowl so deep, I wondered how he wasn't a sinking statue.

Slowly, I repeated in a questioning tone, "No?"

He turned to face me, his mauve eyes a storm of emotions that almost made me topple over in my seat. "You won't be able to kill him. Self-sacrifice isn't an option."

For a moment, all I could do was stare, completely floored, at the silver-haired hunter. My lips parted slightly like I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what I wanted to say. Something closed my throat, made my heart wrench. Something like needles or thorns began to prick at the backs of my eyes, but for some reason I couldn't tear my eyes away from him.  
><em><br>Why_? Why was he looking at me like that? Why did he say something like that? Why did he say it like it actually _mattered_ to him?

I didn't understand. I didn't understand, I didn't understand, I didn't _understand_.

I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I hardly even heard Gin say, "I agree with Zero. We're not going to just _give_ you guys to him."

"This is a waste of my time," Nao said in a clipped tone. He met everyone's eyes steadily—even when Zero looked away from me, I couldn't help but continue gaping at him in confusion—and then said clearly, "He will _not_ be coming. But in order to sate your fears and skepticism, if he _does_ come, it won't matter whether Kiriyuu goes on the offensive with both Trace and Ivy or if Nakaoka and Kiriyuu goes. The combinations don't matter, because he'll get what he wants. Rather than something as idiotic as 'self-sacrifice,' it's more like the most logical thing to do. It's called minimizing casualties and effort. It's useless to fight and possibly get people killed when it can be simply avoided."

"You can't be sure of that," Gin murmured quietly. Through the composure of his pretense, one could see the determination in his eyes, the resolution.

"If you think you can beat a Pureblood, you're deluding yourself, Urase," Nao told him in a cold, matter-of-fact tone. "This is reality."

A sudden, abrupt _bang_ screeched through the night. It was thunderous, echoing loudly in the space between us. I felt the walls, the floor, the chair, my entire body reverberate from the fist that had connected to the wall. The sound had been so loud, it could've split the world in half.

I jumped in my seat, completely surprised by the unexpected crash. My eyes immediately darted over to my younger brother. His head had, at one point, shifted from the window to hang down a bit to face the floor. His body was incredibly tense, his visible eye still downcast. His body still leaned against the desk, yet his outstretched arm connected to a clenched fist that left a small indent on the wooden wall.

The sound of tiny debris tinkling onto surfaces seemed to be equivalent to the hard bass of a new song.

"Trance...?" His name was a delicate whisper as my mouth formed it.

He shut his eyes for a brief moment, not saying a word, before they flashed open again. Letting his arm drop to his side, he wordlessly made his way to the doorway. His expression was cold, detached, stiff. His visible green eye was narrowed, glistening strongly with an emotion that I couldn't place. Anger and irritation rolled off of him, caped him, made the air around him heavier to inhale. Maybe it was because of that, but nobody said a single word as we watched him close the distance between himself and the door.

It was just when he had reached the doorway that Zero spoke up, eyes trained on the dark-haired hunter's back. "What are you doing?"

Trance's footsteps halted as he stood, back straight and defiant, in the middle of the doorframe. For a long moment, nobody said anything. We merely burned holes into his back, and he merely stood there, staring ahead. I wondered what he was thinking, what was running through his mind. I wanted to tell him that he should go treat his hand, but the words couldn't even form themselves in my mind.

Eventually, he spat out, "Nao's right." And he stood there a second longer, as if letting it sink in, before he put one foot in front of the other and disappeared down the hallway.

Logically, I knew that it shouldn't hurt. After all, Nao had said the exact same thing yet I hadn't felt nearly as much pain as I did now. What Nao said _was_ right, so it was only natural that Trance agreed with it. It was something that I also expressed my agreement on, so _why_? Why did my heart hurt, why did I flinch as if he had slapped me, why did my breaths get so much more shallow?

It was too tense in the room. The silence was too suffocating, it was choking me and I couldn't breathe, breathe, _breathe_.

"I..." I swallowed hard, even though the clump in my throat didn't go down. I blinked, and tried to steady my voice so that it would stop faltering. "I'm..." I inhaled sharply and forced out in a rush, "I'm not feeling well, so I'm going back to my room."

I sprung to my feet and walked quickly out of the room, making sure to close the door behind me as I did so, since Trance had forgotten. The moment I had stepped into my own room, I slammed the door shut and leaned against it, sinking to the floor slowly.

My eyelids slid over my eyes in order to keep tears from blurring my vision, and I tilted my head back against the wood. I pulled my knees up halfway to my chest, trying to keep my breathing steady. But it didn't work, and when I opened my eyes again, I stared at the back of my right hand, where fancy black lines curved and created beautiful numbers that meant less than beautiful things.

24/09/96

16/03/97

The two sets of dates served a reminder that I doubted I could forget. And once again, my vision hazed, yet I refused to let the tears fall.  
><em><br>It's my fault. It's not my fault. It's my fault. It's not my fault. It's my fault. It's not my fault._

It's. My. Fault.

It's. Not. My. Fault.

BREATHE!

Just breathe. Just breathe. Just breathe. Just breathe. Just breathe. It's okay, just breathe.

Somehow, hours passed as these thoughts kept repeating themselves inside my mind in an endless cycle.

* * *

><p><strong>TRAINING CAMP—DAY TWELVE [ NIGHT ]<strong>

I let out a soft sigh, closing my eyes and letting my head fall back to bump onto the wood of my headboard. My neck had started hurting from looking down at the novel that was placed on my lap, and I pulled my legs up to angle the book a bit better. Turning my head away, I looked outside my window—the window that Satoshi always looked out of when he spent his winter camps here as an instructor.

It was pretty late, so it was no surprise that the dark onyx of night covered everything. The bare, shivering trees looked even darker than black, the sky looking like an ocean drowned in black dye but not mixed well enough. The moon was a bright, sideways grin up in the sky, shining down on us with its craters of imperfection yet still so incredibly beautiful. It seemed to give life to the nightly hours—it made everything seem to shine, too.

Tonight, bright speckles that were the stars had scattered all over the place, almost as if someone had accidentally tripped and spilled them out of a large jar. They glittered and glowed and I could almost, _almost_, hear their laughter and see their smiles. I could almost feel the warmth that they gave that didn't exist.

A few knocks on the door shook me back down to earth. For a moment, I stared at the wooden rectangle that separated me from the person outside, wondering what would happen if I didn't answer.

But then I found myself saying, "It's unlocked, feel free to come in."

With a whisper of sound, the handle turned and the door was pushed open, his tall frame entering into my room. He was beautiful and emitting quiet confidence mixed with a desire to disappear, and there was only one person who could exude such a presence.

A small smile reluctantly graced my features as he closed the door behind him and, although I gestured for him to sit, rested against the wall that my face faced. "I don't know why you like leaning against walls so much. I mean, I'm sure that the bed or a chair is more comfy."

"I'm fine," he responded, his eyes fluttering to the destinations I had offered him before resting on me again. His silver hair glowed even though he was in the darkened corner of the room, and his mauve eyes reflected the moonlight streaming in from the window beside me so clearly, I almost forgot that his eyes weren't mirrors.

"If you say so... but I honestly don't bite." I grinned at him lightheartedly before commenting, "It's unusual for you to come and find me first. Is something bothering you?"

Zero's eyes tightened for a moment, his lips pursing just a nonexistent fraction, before he glanced down, then back up. "... The Pureblood that bit you—" he stopped himself short, his scowl deepening.

I took advantage of the fact he was being silent in order to gather his thoughts. "Are you talking about what was said last night?"

"I never knew," he started quietly, "which Pureblood was the one that turned you."

Confusion pranced along my expression and voice as I asked, "Does it matter?"

There was a short silence before he sighed, his posture relaxing a bit. "I guess not."

"Were you worried?" My head tilted a bit when his eyes snapped to meet mine, and I found my lips pulling upwards just slightly. He had been acting a bit more tense than usual the entire day, but it was different from everyone else. Although everyone's rigidness was definitely all for different reasons aside from the possibility of a Pureblood attack, it was Zero and Trance's reasons that I couldn't put a finger on. Emi was still angry about the conversation last night, and Gin was bothered by the fact that I had never told him about the annual check-ups that Shoto gave us. Nao, on the other hand, was deathly livid at the fact that Shoto had shown up again.

Trance and Zero, however, remained mysteries to me.

It took him a second longer than it should've, but he said, "You don't even know what you're saying."

And although I felt like he had been trying to avoid my eyes, somehow they ended up clashing with mine almost like an invisible force had pulled them together and I couldn't help but feel the wind getting knocked out of me. I felt my own eyes widen slightly, my body tensing a bit from surprise because there were so many emotions and thoughts in his eyes that I couldn't understand. His countenance was still set in a scowl, and yet it seemed softer somehow, like he was less guarded, less reserved.

He looked a bit less distant.

No matter how well I claimed to know him or how well I believed I could read other people, it was utterly impossible for me to be able to decipher the way he looked at me in that moment, because it wasn't admiration, adoration, worry, confusion, despair, horror, fear, caution—it wasn't anything like that, so what could it be? I didn't understand everything in that expression, but there _was_ one thing that I _could_ read.

Unable to help it, my lips slanted upwards into a soft, but delighted smile, because now, we were no longer strangers. We weren't just hunters tied together by the Association, or siblings bound together just by titles, occupations, or duties.

No.

We were comrades.

There had been no words exchanged between us, but I knew. I just _did_. It was this feeling I got in the very depths of my gut and in my heart, and it was like something clicked perfectly in my mind, because I didn't doubt it even for a second.

Zero wasn't going to share his deepest and darkest secrets with me, and he would try to avoid having emotional talks as much as possible just like he always would, but he _accepted_ me now in a way that was different from before. For the past two months, he accepted my presence in a barely tolerable manner, but that's different from accepting _me_. He had always been trying to keep a distance between us, always trying to keep things as non-personal as he could by giving subtle answers and curt replies.

But today? Today he came and found me first.

Slowly, very slowly, but also very surely, our pretenses were being chipped away. And although I was a bit too scared to hope, I still found a flicker of it inside of me that maybe, just maybe if we were given enough time, we would be able to return to the way we were years ago.

Instead of replying, I simply laughed a bit at him. I felt my heart warm inside my chest, making it feel pleasant and tingly. But I knew that he was here for a reason, and although the smile dimmed on my face, it still hung on my lips as I told him, "Shoto doesn't interact with the other Purebloods or the vampire community in general. He stays in his castle somewhere far, far north. That's why it was so surprising that day."

He hesitated a second before asking carefully, "The day you got bitten?"

"You don't need to look like that," I murmured, lips tugging up a bit more at the wary, deep scowl on his face that seemed tinged with thoughtfulness for me, for how I felt. "The day we got bitten isn't exactly painful to talk about, since it's actually quite anticlimactic. Everyone in EX5 and a few others had been on a raid. Junko, Cheryl, and I weren't full-fledged hunters yet, but back then, they allowed us to go for experience and get first-hand experience. We had taken out the mob we'd heard about and had been on our way back, and he'd been there. As far as we know, there's no specific reason why it was _us_ that got bitten. I think it's just mere coincidence—he had randomly chosen, and he picked who he picked."

Speculations had circled around for a long time after we had gotten bitten. People talked a lot and ideas spread. Some people thought that I had gotten bitten because I was a Tashiro and the easiest one of my family to target, since my mom and Satoshi were the only other ones there that day and they could definitely handle themselves better than I could. Others said that Nao got chosen because it was notorious that he loathed vampires so much, and Shoto decided he would give the white-haired vampire a lifetime of torture.

In all honesty, I just believed we had all been unlucky. Junko, Cheryl, and I had been the youngest ones there, so we were probably easiest to get to. Nao had been standing closest to Shoto since he had been walking a few feet ahead of the rest of the group, and Al had been the one to charge after him even though the white-blond Pureblood had already started to retreat. The way I saw it, there were no other deeper meanings to who had gotten bitten.

For a moment, Zero didn't say anything, his eyes fixated on the floor. When he looked up at me again, his voice didn't give away his thoughts. "How long until you started your Change?"

"Immediately," I answered. When his eyes widened slightly at my answer before instantly narrowing, eyebrows pulling in deeper and scowl darkening, the smile on my face turned sad. I closed the book I had been reading, pressing against the novel with both hands as I held it in between my palms.

I felt like I was beginning to understand why Zero was asking me this stuff. He had never met anyone like him before—never met another person born as a hunter yet turned into a vampire and lived to tell the tale. He had never seen anyone who was a vampire hunter, yet a vampire except for himself. He had been provided answers, but just how _accurate_ were those answers when the only person he could compare them with was himself?

Briefly, I wondered if he felt like he wasn't completely alone anymore.

"The thing is," I started as I stared at the book being squished by me, "we weren't like you, Zero. We didn't _want_ to hold off the Change. You fought desperately to stop it or hold it off, but we didn't. We knew that it wouldn't matter in the end—if we tried to slow it down, we would only be suffering longer. It's not that we didn't want to remain as pure hunters or that we wanted to get turned into vampires, but we were the first hunters that got bitten by a Pureblood and were _retrieved. _All the other hunters had never gotten back to Headquarters. And yet we did. And in the Association's hands, we knew that would happen to us if we put it off. They wouldn't trust us, wouldn't let us go about with our daily lives. They'd lock us up and observe us like we were lab rats and then we'd get killed. We didn't _want _that. We wanted to Change, then get killed immediately. The chance of us losing control suddenly and massacring everyone was much smaller if we were killed quickly rather than kept as experiments."

I remembered the feeling of the Change so clearly, my memory could've been crystalline water for others to drink out of. I felt like I had been on fire, burning from the inside out. My throat had been scorching, and pain flared _everywhere_. I couldn't even hear my own thoughts due to the amount of excruciating pain that had hit me. Perhaps it hurt so much more than Zero's _because_ we didn't fight the Change—we just let it take its course head-on.

"Our Change lasted a few days," I told him. "Junko was the first one conscious, then I came second. Al and Cheryl finished on the same day. Nao was the one that took the longest—I think it's because he fought so hard in the beginning, but eventually succumbed to it. Our Change hit us in days while yours dragged out for years, so that's why your Change wasn't as painful."

"And after?" he asked. I knew that he was questioning me about what happened after the Change—why we were kept alive when we shouldn't have been, why they didn't kill us during the Change itself, what happened during that period of time in general.

Moving the book aside and placing it onto the window-seat right next to me, I ended up clenching my fists tightly. I turned to stare out the window, squinting just slightly at the brightness of the moonlight.

Inhaling deeply before exhaling just as slowly, I tried to keep my emotions and my memories in check. I didn't want to be more affected than I needed to be, to lose control of my own thoughts and my own feelings. And yet, despite how hard I tried, I knew that I _was_ being incredibly affected by it, and no amount of false nonchalance could fool anyone.

"You know how I said we wanted to go through the Change quickly because if we didn't, we knew they'd lock us up?" I shook my head and let out a breathless, humourless laugh. "Well, we were being naive. Because the next thing we knew, we all woke up chained to cots in the middle of separated rooms we had never been in." I paused, didn't look at him, didn't _dare_ to look at the expression he would have on his face. "The only reason they didn't kill us during our Change was because some families and hunters had protested our execution. Satoshi, Lydia, Trance—the three of them would _not_ let them do anything, from what I heard. Violet had threatened to kill anyone who came near us. Junko's parents and her relatives disagreed on being hasty with the Association's decision, and that's when people began to pick sides."  
><em><br>Trance. Violet. _My mind whispered those two names so delicately, so quietly and so full of sorrow, I almost reached up to clutch at the spot where my heart was. Because back then, things were _okay_. Trance and I had been so close back then, we knew each other so incredibly well. We got along with each other and read each other like there was a telepathic connection between us. Although all of us Tashiro siblings had been practically _made_ to be siblings with each other, I had been closer to him than Lydia, closer to him than even Satoshi.

Back then, Violet had been alive. Back then, Violet had always taken care of us even though she didn't have to. She had shared so many memories with us, become such a huge part of our lives. The raven-haired human—mundane, normal, ordinary _human_—had always been there for any of us when we needed her. And she had fought so fiercely, so dauntlessly, so resolutely for our safety and our welfare. She had put us before herself. She had always been like that.

The bonds between all of us had been so amazing, so _brilliant_.

And then we lost it all.

Zero's taut voice, withering with frost at the edges, broke me out of my train of thought. "They _chained you to cots?_"

The way he sounded so genuinely angry and disgusted and revolted for us made me want to close my eyes. But I didn't, because all I could think about was how that night we woke up and realized what had happened looked exactly like tonight.

Silence spoke volumes, and I ended up forcing out a laugh that sounded more like a choke than anything else. "Yes, yes they did. In a way, it's understandable. They didn't know what kind of threat we could pose, and they were taking necessary precautions. They had moved us while we were Changing, and they brought us out to an abandoned building far, far out in the woods. It used to be an emergency camp site, but after vampires had been found using it one day, hunters never went back. They set up wards around it so no vampires could get in and take us, and they put up wards that stopped us from leaving—not that we could, even if we wanted to. We were all in separate rooms, but the rooms were next to each other so if we tried hard enough, we could talk to each other to make it seem less lonely." I paused for a moment before adding softly, "Ichiru visited us a lot."

It seemed to take Zero a few seconds to pick out the question he wanted to ask the most. "How long?" His voice was quiet, but it was so full of emotions that I couldn't decipher.

"How long were we in there?" It took me a second to think about it. "The first time, we were in there for two and a half years. They had to run tests on us, and anyone who didn't want us dead visited us often. We were chained up the first few months, but then they untied us afterward. They had set up security cameras, and wards had been put up around our rooms so we couldn't leave. There was nothing inside the rooms that would let us hurt ourselves—we had the cot and bathrooms connected to our rooms, a drawer for a few clothes, and that was it. Then it was white walls, a white ceiling, a white tiled floor. Satoshi brought me baking recipes, Lydia brought me manga, Trance brought me books. I spent my days reading."

"What do you mean, '_the first time?_'" The silver-haired hunter demanded, catching onto something that I had been hoping—wishing—_praying_—that he wouldn't pick up on. Yet he did, and I could feel his eyes boring holes into my skull. I felt something clog my throat and prick at the back of my eyes.

"It means exactly what I said." My voice was too tight, too shaky, too unsteady. "We were in there for two and a half years at first. And then we got to go out, but it only lasted for a while before—before I—a-and then they took us—" the sentence got stuck in my throat, the words forming a block that wouldn't come out. The stutters were painful, unintended, _jammed_.

Horror and fear and agony began to claw up inside of me in a panic, and a scream began to creep its way up my throat. But something had wedged itself down my mouth, and I couldn't speak, couldn't swallow, couldn't _breathe_. It seemed impossible to get any air into my lungs, and the world seemed to slip in and out of my focus. Black splatters seemed to dot the scene in front of me, and I felt like the world was sliding out from underneath my feet. It was a feeling that made me so incredibly sick, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of gut-wrenching terror that gripped at me and laughed.  
><em><br>No, _my mind tried to say firmly, but it sounded so feeble. _Stop, stop thinking about it. Get yourself together!_

I wanted to scream back, tell myself that I was _trying_, but it just wasn't working. Because even though I tried to regulate my breathing, tried to focus and concentrate my mind, I couldn't. I could feel the memories pressed against my head, my sheer willpower forcing them back.  
><em><br>I'm so terrified.  
><em>  
>The thought seemed to strangle me inside out.<p>

"Oi, Tashiro. _Tashiro!_" His voice was closer than before, warmer, gentler, but somehow edgier. I didn't know how it was possible to sound that way, but his hand clamping down on my shoulder seemed to jolt me out of my thoughts.

Words failed me for a moment as I snapped back to reality. I choked as I tried to calm my racing heart and ragged breathing. I blinked my eyes hard and fast in an attempt to clear my vision even though nothing had truly obstructed it in the first place. But even as I attempted to calm myself, I couldn't. My entire system was so wired, so alert. The hairs on the back of my neck practically bristled from the eternal trepidation that resided in me and never, _ever_ left.

Needing reassurance, needing just _someone_, I stiffly lifted a hand up to my shoulder where he was still keeping a firm, gentle grip on me. I hesitated for a moment, but when the pads of my fingers brushed his with a touch as soft as a breeze during spring, warmth and fire seemed to bloom along my hand, through my body. And then I couldn't stop myself from placing my hand over his, my fingers curling around his and peeling the hand off my shoulder.

He didn't say anything, didn't move.

I brought his hand down so that I could stare at it. I held it with both of my hands, and I didn't realize just how violently my hands shook until I saw the stark contrast between his and mine. His hand was so much larger, but his fingers were so long and slender. His skin was smooth, flawless, _strong. _I didn't know how it was possible, but even though his hand wasn't rough or badly calloused, it still gave off a virile feel. Somehow, just _somehow_, I felt so reassured. I felt like I was going to be okay. His mere presence seemed to create that feeling, and I found my hands trembling just slightly less viciously.

After a long time, I tried to speak. "I—I..." I swallowed, blinking because even though I was finally beginning to regain my composure, my entire brain was a mess. "I'm sorry," I managed to breathe out. "Can I... stay like this a little longer?"

Normally, I would've felt embarrassed to ask him for such a thing, but at that moment, I didn't care. I just needed him here, just needed to know he was real and I wasn't dreaming something as fantastic as being able to go out into the world instead of staying caged up like an animal. I wanted him to stay with me, to help me confirm that whatever we had between us was real and I wasn't just fantasizing about a day I could see him again.

Zero stayed silent, but he did something I didn't expect. Leisurely, but in a smooth motion, he sat himself down on the edge of the bed. His body didn't face me, and neither did his face, but I knew that he was observing me carefully from the corners of his eyes.

I wasn't sure how long we stayed like that, neither one of us saying anything. Gradually, as seconds and minutes ticked by, my breaths turned from rapid shallow gasps to normal inhales and exhales, my mind had returned back to its usual state, my body relaxing a bit again. My hands had stopped shaking, and I finally had a grip on myself, but neither one of us moved.

We were motionless for a long time even after I had recovered my composure. And I had no idea why he didn't move, or why I didn't move—all I knew was that a part of me wanted us to continue like this for longer and longer.

But I knew that it couldn't last. Because the more time dragged on with my hands daintily holding his, the more guilt seemed to swell up inside of me. I didn't understand it, I didn't understand it _at all_, but for some reason I felt like it was _wrong_ of me to have his hand in mine even if our fingers weren't interlaced and even if he wasn't holding my hand back. Reason bombarded me heavily—why in the world was I feeling guilty? What was there to feel guilty _of_?

And I realized that it was because he was in love with Yuuki. He loved her, he loved her, _he loved her._ I didn't know why that meant so much, but it meant _everything_. Not only that, but she loved him, too. She _loved_ him.

My eyes widened a bit, my grip tightening on his hand for a second. _What am I doing?_

"I'm sorry." I broke the silence first, and I laughed a bit. I held onto his hand a little longer—just a second or two, maybe three—before I let go. I hoped to god that he couldn't tell how reluctant I was, how I immediately missed the warmth his hand provided and how comfortable and safe it made me feel.

His eyes, which had fallen to the floor in front of him after a while, flickered over to look at me out of his peripheral vision once more. For a few heartbeats, he didn't move his hand. But when I met his gaze with my own, he retreated it back to rest at his side. "For what?"

"For making you see something like that again," I murmured softly. I played with my own fingers, twisting them and tangling them before unwinding. "I think that's the third time... And I made you stay with me for such a long period, too. I'm really sorry. I'm sure you had better things to do."

The look in his eyes was piercing, his eyebrows pulled together. His lips pulled downwards as he stated, "You never _made_ me do anything."

An objection had begun on the tip of my tongue, but then it disappeared. Though I didn't threaten him to stay or anything, I knew that Zero was kind. He wouldn't have left me, not in that state—not even if he desperately had to be somewhere else, or if he wanted to leave. For Zero, there had never been an option to leave. It was inherent in the silver-haired hunter to support others even when _he_ was the one that was breaking apart the fastest.

"Zero?" His name left my lips tentatively.

"What is it?" he asked.

My gaze shifted from his beautiful profile to stare at my tangled mess of fingers settled on my lap. "Are you going back to the Academy for winter break?" To him, the question probably sounded so random, so out of the blue, but it wasn't.

"Does it matter?" When he saw me nod, he scrutinized me wordlessly for a brief handful of seconds before sighing. "No. Somewhere in town, or the Association, most likely."

Hundreds of thoughts and emotions raced through me, and I mustered up all the courage I could. I blurted out the words before I could rethink them and lose my nerve. "Come and spend winter break at my house, with my family."

An incredulous silence followed my words, and then came his, _"What_?"

"Arashi's been asking if you're going to spend break with us," I explained, smiling at the thought of my younger brother. "Lydia told me that he's been asking her every single day since the end of the rebellion, and it's driving her insane. He's so fond of you. And Lydia wants to officially meet you. Satoshi wants to get to know you better too, and I'm sure that Trance wouldn't mind. My entire family wants you to spend the two weeks with us." I paused, and I beamed at him brightly. "And of course, I would love to have you with us, too. It'll be fun."

Zero shook his head. "Tashiro—"

"Please?" I met his eyes, the smile on my face yielding a bit. "To be honest, I'm worried, Zero."

"I don't need you to worry about me," came his response.

"It's not your thirst or anything." I gave him a pointed look that told him I _knew_ he was thinking I'd be concerned about that. My nose scrunched up a bit as I explained, "My grandparents will be going in and out of the Association a lot, and I know they're less than pleasant to be around. They're going to try _especially_ hard to form a relationship with you and get under your skin. I'm sure you can handle yourself, but..." I shook my head and the upwards tilt of my lips turned sheepish. "I'll be less worried. And besides, my siblings really, _really_ want you to come."

His scowl was deep as he looked at me. "I refuse. Offering me two weeks of hospitality is—"

"I feel safe when I'm with you," I interrupted him quietly. The words escaped me so fast, I hadn't even thought about it. When I realized when I said, I felt blood rushing up to my cheeks and my eyes widening. I couldn't look at him, but his eyes were lasers as he stared at me. I swallowed the nervousness in my throat and mumbled, "I want you to spend winter break with us... So if you don't mind, would you?"

Minutes and minutes and minutes flew by in absolute silence. It wasn't exactly a tense silence, but it wasn't a relaxed one, either. It was a bit rigid, but it seemed more contemplative and pensive than anything else.

I felt idiotic and stupid and naive and a ton of other things. After all, how I had asked him seemed so moronic. It wasn't suave at all. It wasn't bright, cheerful, and lighthearted like I normally would've asked him. My voice, my tone, my words—I hated the way they had sounded so uncertain, so timid.

Because, after all, why was there a reason to be _shy_ or anxious? My own sentiments confused me, because it didn't make any sense.

And I wasn't sure what wore him down, but when I glanced up briefly at him at some point, he met my eyes for a second before he looked away just as fast.

Then he sighed almost inaudibly. "Fine."

My smile was so wide that it hurt.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

TA-DAAAAA! The first thing I update after a while is a small reveal about EX5's past! I hope that it was interesting for you guys to hear what they went through, and how it differed a bit from Zero's experience! Guys, I hope my writing hasn't gotten rusty. -DEAD-

I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot, because I love how Ivy's starting to open up to Zero on a more personal level. I smiled often while writing this just 'cause it's... they're... UGH. All my feels for these two, I cannot. HAHA.

As always, I apologize for any OOCness, spelling mistakes, and grammar errors that may have occurred!

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**Tokine8696, SunnyDorangejuice, Juliedoo, Deces, ALittleTrickster, thecoldforest, bbymojo, IxLOVExALOISxTRANCYx, luvJesusInHeavn, NightCrescent, Bottomless Pit of EMOTIONS, Jade Starlight, Ficchii, Ketsueko, R. Firefly , Trance20666, Nack3490, Ice Angel Magica, rachel101448, Maiannaise, AliceMarieSwan, Hanako H, FallenWallflower, Random Citizen, Captaintsukiko34, Momochan77, nARUTOfAN, Animebunny123, and VanillaSnowdrops**

THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT! I definitely went back and reread them for motivation in order to be inspired to write. Thank you. So much. I appreciate it on so many levels.

Also, thank you so much to those who favourited and alerted! (:

I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN THIS PORTION; RESPONSES [ AKA WALLS OF TEXTS ]? LEGGO!

To **Tokine8696**;

OHOHO, I'm very much alive, but feeling very much zombie-like too. I hope you're well! I must apologize for my enormous gap in between updates, but I've managed to get something out? AHA... HA...? Not funny? OK, sorry. OTL.  
>Oh man, this camp is reaching its end fast, and although I adore the premise of it, I can't wait for the winter break arc to start. THE FLUFF, MANG, THE FLUFF. I'm so excited, and I'm so glad you are, too!<br>Akahana is... Welp... HUEHUEHUE? To be honest, I smirked while writing that scene because I just found it so amusing. A face-off between Akahana and Ivy? -shakes head- We all know the outcome of THAT...  
>OUCH. DAT PRESSURE. HAHA. To know that you put so much faith in me touches me and unnerves me at the same time because I worry about disappointing! It's still pretty far down the road, and I hope that despite my long absences and infrequency of updates, you'll stick with me until the end!<br>Thank you so much for your endless support, as always. Thank you for taking the time to read my work, and I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! (:

To **SunnyDorangejuice**;

I FINALLY UPDATED THIS TIME TOO! SORRY FOR THE WAIT! ASDFGHJKL. THANK YOU FOR EVEN REREADING AND STICKING WITH ME. -SOBS-  
>Oh man. YES. YESSSSSSSS. I can totally imagine Aidou as the type that won't fall easily, but when he falls... it's endless. He just seems like that type, y'know? Although, to be honest, I can say that for quite a few of the VK characters. HAHA. I FEEL LIKE I SORT OF KNOW WHAT YOU'RE HINTING AT, BUT NOT REALLY. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? HAHA.<br>Zero. YES. UGH. I'm sorry, all my ZeroxIvy feels are overflowing, I just CANNOT. -SOBS- Zero and Ivy's relationship, I just. I can't. TOO MANY FEELS. It actually hurts me that they're not together yet, because in my mind, ohmylord, they are so beautiful. HNNG.  
>NOOOOO, AHAHAHAHA. I CAN TOTALLY SEE THAT HAPPENING BETWEEN THEM. It just seems so <em>Ivy<em> to be so confident about something like that ( as seen in this chapter here ). It's great. I can honestly imagine it so well inside my head. CREATIVITY? WHAT'S DAT? Gurl, please. ;D  
>Ohmylord, their first kiss is still like a milestone away. HAHA. WE'RE NOT EVEN CLOSE. BUT AT LEAST WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS, RIGHT? RIGHTTTT? [ On a sidenote, uhm, they might be different? WHO KNOWS? You're gonna have to continue reading to see! ;D ]<br>I think that a few of your questions were answered in this chapter, and no worries, mang! LOTS MORE ANSWERS TO COME! I swear that I won't leave you guys hanging, because I love Zero and Ivy's story. Trust me. My heart overflows. HAHA.  
>I'll try to update as much as I can, for sure! I finally updated after such a long time, so I hope this has made your day somehow!<br>Thank you so much for you wonderful support and encouragement! You bring out so many of my feels. HAHA. I honestly hope that I didn't disappoint you, and that you liked this chapter! (;

To **Juliedoo**;

Oh. My. Lord. I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL IVY AND ZERO GET TOGETHER, TOO. -SOBS- You know, even though I'm the one who writes this and has stuff planned out, I feel like... ninety-nine percent of the time, I'm just as impatient as you guys to have them get together. I mean, DAMNIT. I just want to get to all the cute and fluffy scenes and asdnovawepe. -BREATHES-  
>Dude. I can't talk about Yuuki. Ever since VK has ended, I just. -breathes- I feel like she shouldn't exist, and I just. I have so much to say about her that I can't talk about her unless it's in person because I just word vomit in rage and horror and everything else. It just. I CANNOT. -SOBS-<br>I see Zero and Yuuki's relationship in a very similar light. I DON'T KNOW. You know how some people love characters together, or even people together, because they look cute together or ARE cute together and etc? I feel like... I don't give a shit if people look good together. It's a matter of whether or not you're good FOR each other, y'know? And I feel like no matter what, in that relationship, all they'll ever do is hurt one another. I just can't. It pains me.  
>I finally updated! So I hope you're still with me, and that you enjoyed! HAHA.<br>Thank you so much for reading faithfully ( and I hope you still are ). I appreciate it a ton, and I hope that you're doing well. I also hope that you enjoyed this chapter that revealed a bit more about not only Ivy, but EX5 too! ;D

To **ALittleTrickster**;

NONO, please don't apologize for long and lengthy replies! I honestly DO adore them! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know that you would take the itme out of your life and go out of your way to write me one! I'm also super touched that you love this story! HAHA.  
>I'm really happy for Kaname and everything, and I... feel like VK could have ended so much worse, but damn. I gotta admit that though I need to give Hino-sensei props, I also can't believe that... I just... I cannot. Too many bad feels that accompany any streaks of happiness. -SLAPPED-<br>HAHA. I like the way you think. It's like saying "Go big or go home" and "NO HESITATION" which are both great~  
>Hmm. A Monday? I haven't actually thought about the specific day of the week they'd be getting together. Would you care to explain to me why you're specifically asking about a Monday? WOULD IT BE BETTER IF IT WAS A MONDAY? I NEED TO KNOW NOW.<br>And NONO, thank YOU! Thank you for your lovely support! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter, and that this isn't a disappointment to you! A part of me feels as though my writing skills have deteriorated. OTL. Nonetheless, I hope you liked it! Thanks again~ (:

To **thecoldforest**;

YES, I AM ALIVEEEEE! SURPRISE! I feel like this is going to shock everyone who thought I had died. HAHA. The element of surprise is on my side frequently. OHOHOHO.  
><span>SPOILER ALERT TO THOSE WHO HAVEN'T READ THE END OF THE VK MANGA BUT LIKES TO READ THROUGH MY COMMENTS TO OTHER PEOPLE'S COMMENTS:<span>  
>Oh. My. Lord. PLEASE DON'T ASK ME ABOUT THAT, BECAUSE I SWEAR. I was so angry. I mean, holy mother of everything angry... I was LIVID. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but I have to give Hino-sensei props for what she did. I have to admit I was expecting a much shittier ending than what was given to us. And originally, I wanted to give Yuuki props for giving Kaname another chance, y'know? But then over time, I realized that she was only doing it after spending a life with Zero. A life that she lived happily, and it's only after he's gone that she's giving her life to Kaname, and THAT MAKES ME SO ANGRY ALL OVER AGAIN, PLEASE DON'T. HNNG. Let's just say that I hate Yuuki so freakin' much, it just. No. I cannot. I love Zero, and I love Kaname, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THEIR KIDS BECAUSE DAMNIT THAT MEANS THEY- OK, you know what? No. I'M DONE. -SOBS- TOO MANY FEELS.<br>SPOILER END.  
>I finally updated, so I hope that you're still with me and still in love with this story!<br>Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me, for your words of encouragement and support, and having been so faithful all this time. I hope you're still a reader of mine, and that you're happy with this chapter! (:

To **Ficchii**;

Aww, it's OK! You weren't too late judging from the day you submitted your review and my update date! HAHA. I have to admit though that I remember wondering what happened since I hadn't heard from you yet. xP Glad to know that you were still with me back then ( and hopefully still! )  
>I think fighting scenes are great to watch, but very difficult to write and to follow as a reader, which is why I try not to write them. HAHA. It just... I don't know. I like to kind of skim over them, since they cause me distress more than half the time.<br>GURL, I GET YOU. OH. MY. LORD. You don't even know how badly I hate on shoujo girls. It's so bad, I just can't. LIKE, IT ACTUALLY PAINS ME TO READ ABOUT THEIR IDIOTIC ENDEAVOURS. SERIOUSLY. I cannot. I just. Please. -SHOT-  
>Thank you, thank you~ -blushes- I hope that my writing hasn't deteriorated in the time I've been absent, and thank you for pointing out that mistake! I may have gone back to change it, but I need to doublecheck on that. xP<br>I can't wait until I get to go into more depth about Trance. I mean, holy. It's going to be so great. Seriously.  
>I DIED FROM LAUGHING. I'M SORRY, IT'S JUST THE WAY I IMAGINE YOU SAYING "raging hormones deepened it and shit." THAT JUST KILLED ME. YOU'RE WONDERFUL.<br>Thank you so much for making me laugh at 1:10 AM as I'm writing this response to you, and for being so great and lovely and for your encouragement! It means a lot to me. I hope that this chapter was OK enough for you, and that your day has also brightened up a tad! (:

To **Ketsueko**;

HELLO! Thank you! I'm glad you loved it~  
>YES! I'm actually super happy that I can have them interact again, just because it's nice to move them along. I think development without each other is great too, but I know it can get tedious. XP<br>I fangirl over anime / manga men all the time and it's so terrible because I know they aren't real but I can't help it. HAHA. I'm not sure if I want to be adding to your list or not, but I suppose that's for you to decide as the story progresses, eh? (;  
>Aww, thank you, thank you! You praise me so much that my ego will either be so big it'll smack me in the face, or I'll end up exploding from giddiness. Nonetheless, I'm really touched and grateful that you think so highly of my writing!<br>OHOHOHO. I hope that I WILL surprise you, but the kiss is rather far down the road. -SLAPPED- Anticipate it! ;D  
>HAHAHA. Dinosaur type? That sounds pretty great! I think that cartoon dinosaurs are often super adorable, so thank you! And I try to write super long chapters to compensate for my lack of updates... I hope it works. Ish.<br>Thank you so much for your lovely words, and for reading as well as taking the time to review! It makes me super happy! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! (:

To **Hanako H**;

OHOHOHOHO, HELLO. I'm really glad you love the slow development! I know most authors tend to rush. It's hard for me to do that though, simply because I can't imagine Zero falling in love so easily. As for the interludes with his POV... Huehuehue. Who knows? (; Let's just say that while it might not be soon, there will definitely be a time in which Zero's thoughts are more apparent than ever.  
>Thank you! I try to balance her out somehow, and I tend to fret over whether or not I'm doing it, but I'm glad that I am! To most people. I hope. AHAHA.<br>Yes, I'm totally aware about the overload of OCs! Since this story is so centered around hunters, I felt like I needed to create a community of them to make it seem more real, considering the original VK manga never really went into depth about many hunters other than a handful. After this arc, there will be a select few that will constantly be around, so I hope that makes things easier!  
>Aww man, you're so much kinder than I am. Maybe I'm just a big ball of hate since I cannot stand Yuuki or anything about her. Writing about her pains me. -SLAPPED- But I have to agree that I definitely do adore both Zero and Kaname, and that I would've wanted an ending in which she didn't end up with either of them, yet they both found contentment within their lives.<br>I finally updated, so I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! Thank you so much for leaving me your thoughts and sharing them with me! (:

END OF RESPONSES!

OKOK, I'm done with my walls of texts. -wipes brow-

**IMPORTANT:** I know that it's been, what, seven months since my last update? And I know that a lot of you guys wonder if I've died off, or have stopped writing! I've mentioned in some of my responses to y'all that no, this isn't it! The story of Zero and Ivy will definitely be written until the end, so I hope you guys can stick with me until then even though it's so selfish of me to ask that with my infrequent updates! Nonetheless, I'd truly appreciate it if you guys stayed with me, and I just wanted to let everyone know that I _do_ plan to finish this story!

OK, and that is all. HAHA.

I hope that everyone has been dealing with life OK! For some reason, despite being bombarded with a lot of stuff already, I feel like I continue to add stuff onto my plate of "stuff to do" with my most recent endeavour. I mean, really. Maybe I'm insane? AHAH... AHA. -DEAD-

Thank you to everyone who shared with me their thoughts on the question I posed last time! It was really interesting to hear your thoughts on it, and I'm grateful! This time, the question will be...

**QUESTION: What do you think happened during EX5's "second time" that made Ivy lose her composure so easily?**

I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please share them with me in a review or PM! (:

Thank you guys for sticking with me, and I hope that you'll all be here at the end as well!

SEE YOU GUYS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! -WINKWINKNUDGENUDGE- ;D

-is smirking smugly-

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	25. Abysmal

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters. All rights belong solely to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N:**

OHOHOHOHO.

OHO.

FANCY SEEING YOU GUYS HERE AGAIN.

Imeanwaitwhat?

SURPRISEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

I decided that, since it had been a while since my last update, that I would wait for a double whammy? I mean, double the joy? TA-DA? I had bits and pieces of both chapters written separately throughout the months because that was just how I got inspired and what came to me. I knew where I wanted both chapters to go, and since I had been practically writing both chapters at the same pace at the same time, I wasn't going to make you guys wait for one just because I was too lazy to edit!

SO IT'S ALMOST 1:40 AM AND I'M HERE.

Dedication, guise. Dedication.

Nonetheless, I hope that this double update has made your day happier somehow. Even moreso than earlier? OR, WELL, y'know what? By the time you guys read this author's note [ IF you even read them in the first place ] you'd already have known I updated twice, so. STILL. I don't even know what I'm saying now.

I'mgoingtostoptalking.

ENJOY! (:

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE;**

_"Abysmal"_

* * *

><p><strong>TRAINING CAMP—DAY THIRTEEN<strong>

The last sparring session between the trainees had just finished. We hadn't mentioned it before, but we had recorded all of our observations of every trainee during each spar they did, from the very first one they did to the very last one they did today. It was our way of evaluating what had changed over the course of the two weeks, to see the improvements. And I didn't even need to look back on their previous stats to know they had all honed their skills greatly.

Gin seemed to realize this too, because he was beaming as brightly as the sun in the middle of summer as he stood in front of everyone, who had all collapsed onto the floor to rest. Excitement also coated his grin as he said, "Amazing job, guys! That was your last sparring session for this year's winter training camp, so I hope you guys had fun. All of you have been giving your all and working really hard during these spars. I know that you guys realize even with the setbacks put on the instructors, it's still too hard to win. And some of you guys have probably realized it, but although the cloth between the instructors _is_ extremely restrictive, it can also work to their advantage. None of us went easy on you guys, and we're all super impressed."

The six of us clapped for the thirty students, who had turned to look at us with satisfied smiles on their faces and proud grins. They looked so content and they were all absolutely beaming even though we had worked them so hard. I couldn't help but grin back at them.

"There's a tradition every year," Gin started as soon as the applause ended, "for all the students who have worked hard enough during the entire camp. You know how it's not fair for you guys to go up against us? Well, we're going to give you guys a show. This time, Nao-kun, Emi-san, Zero-kun, Trance, Ivy, and I will be going up against one another."

Without even letting Gin finish, the group of trainees erupted into yells, shouts, hoots, whistles, laughter, and clapping. They turned their gazes to us, the anticipation evident on their faces. They looked so excited. Their enthusiasm radiated off their bodies, and they already started to look restless.

Gin laughed, his eyes bright and lips amused. "Okay, first thing's first—you guys can help us decide. Do you want us to use our normal weapons, or secondary ones? Let's do this the democratic way—hands up if you want us to use our normal weapons."

Murmurs went through the group. I heard people pointing out that they had already seen our usual weapons, and that seeing us use something else would be much more interesting. I had to admit that it was true. I had thought the exact same thing during my own camps when the leader had asked for our opinion.

As if coming to a silent understanding, none of them raised their hands.

"Alright then," Gin grinned. "That was easy. Next..." he pulled out six thin popsicle sticks out of the pocket of his coat. Holding them up, one could see that each end of the popsicle sticks had a small, but unarguable dot of colour that differed from the others. "There are six of us, so six different colours. It's going to be a one-on-one _real_ spar. Each one of us is going to pick a colour, but you guys need to decide which colour goes against which colour right now. I'll give you guys ten minutes maximum to decide. Oh, and here—one of you guys can be in charge of holding the popsicle sticks for us to choose, so nobody can call me a cheater for already knowing which popsicle stick has which colour."

Instantly, a hand reached out to take the popsicle sticks, and the entire group of students huddled together, talking in urgent whispers. The six of us merely waited in silence. I had to admit that I was pretty nervous about it, but I was excited at the same time. Sparring was fun, especially when I haven't done it in so long. I knew that each and every single one of the people I worked with was extraordinary in their own way. No matter who I got as an opponent, it would be a hard battle.

It took them a little over six and a half minutes to decide. When they had all quieted down, someone stood up from the group of students. It was Lettie, bouncing with so much energy that she almost tripped on her hasty trek towards Gin, who was closest. She had the coloured side of the popsicle sticks squeezed in between her palms and all of them were at the same height. Gin, after a second of deliberation, plucked one out. It was customary that we didn't show anyone our colours until the pairs that were sparring had been announced, because sometimes they switched up the colour combinations to get certain instructors to spar together.

Next, the blond-haired trainee jogged quickly over to where the rest of us sat. Nao picked first, without even a care in the world. I pulled mine out swiftly with a smile at her, and Emi took hers with a scowl. Zero pulled his out nonchalantly, leaving Trance with the last one.

After Lettie returned back to her original seat, Gin raised his eyebrows at the group. "Okay, so which two colours are going to go up first? Altogether now."

Simultaneously, they all exclaimed loudly, "Blue and green!"

It wasn't me, and I breathed out a sigh of relief. From beside me, Nao muttered something under his breath and stood up. Trance also stood up from where he sat. The two walked up to where Gin stood, verifying their coloured popsicle sticks before setting them down on the ground. The two then opened up the chest of weapons—Trance would have to use a human weapon, while Nao would have to use an anti-vampire one in order to minimize any injuries that may be done.

"The rules for _our_ type of sparring will be a bit different," Gin told them. "We still have fifteen minutes before the battle is stopped, but rather than using string and all that other stuff, it's going to be the first person to draw blood from the other. I said that for you guys, you should try and avoid hitting each other and making body contact. For us, though, it's going to be okay. It's not who lands a _hit_ first, it's who draws _blood_ first."

Trance eventually found what he was looking for. Since he used Kaveil and Saldius, a pair of differently bladed katars, he had an enormous range of different kinds of weapons for a secondary mastery. He had gotten his secondary mastery based off something I had done—chosen something not in the same field as his first weapon mastery. Since katars meant he was a duel-wielder and was engaged in close combat, he had chosen a single-handed weapon that he could use at range. For him, he had chosen to learn how to fight with a lance.

For Nao, his anti-vampire weapon named Shade, was a pair of thick gloves woven with armour and had large, sharp blades protruding along the knuckles much like claws. He liked to use both arms while in combat, so he ended up using two Labrys axes.

The two had found the weapons of their liking and stood facing each other in the large, vacant clearing. Neither of them was smiling, but neither looked tense at all. They just looked at each other, both looking indifferent but both holding similarly cold auras. The anticipation of the trainees crackled in the air, and the moment that Gin said "Start!" the two of them rushed towards each other.

I had seen Trance fight before, and I had witnessed Nao's abilities in the past. However, I couldn't help but be captivated by their duel. Although it was only a secondary weapon, they were both so fluent with it, it could've been their first choice.

Nao slammed down both axes down at Trance, who immediately blocked it with ease. However, there was no way Trance could beat Nao in strength. My younger brother was fourteen, and ten inches shorter than the white-haired hunter's six-foot-four frame. Not to mention the fact that Nao was a vampire, which gave him an indefinite advantage in terms of physical strength.

That didn't seem to bother Trance, though. Because although he wasn't as strong as Nao, Trance had a longer range, which meant he was able to see things coming more quickly. Not only that, but Trance's movements were quicker than Nao's.

The sound of their weapons clashing and clashing resounded through the air. Sometimes, the metals screeched loudly against one another, but nobody even flinched. When I glanced over at the students, they were all staring wide-eyed at the two, mouths opened and disbelief mixed with awe on their expressions. It made me want to laugh—it reminded me so much of how _I_ had looked when I first saw what real hunters were like. The spar was much more intense than they were used to, and everything happened so, _so_ much faster.

It didn't even seem like three minutes had passed when Gin blew the whistle and told them to stop. Trance and Nao pushed off from one another, skidding back a few feet before stopping. They dropped their offensive stances, both not looking like they had broken a sweat. Neither one had gotten an advantage over the other, which resulted in a draw. They were putting their weapons back into the chest when Gin asked for the next pair.

"Black and purple!" they hollered out.

My body tensed for just a second before I forced it to relax. Pushing myself up off the floor, I began walking over to where Gin stood. I glanced briefly over my shoulder to see who I would be facing off against, and I nearly tripped over air when I realized it was Zero.  
><em><br>Zero. _

For whatever reason, my heart seemed to race faster in my chest, my palms feeling a bit more clammy than usual. I frowned and chided myself, because there was no reason to feel that way.

I showed them my purple-dotted popsicle stick, then placed it down and headed over to where the human weapons were. Zero did the same.

Rixelvelt was a mid to long-ranged weapon that could be used with both hands or just one. I didn't want to use guns since I didn't like how I had to reload the bullets and how I had to have such good aim. I didn't like axes or anything either. I had chosen my secondary mastery based on Trance, actually, similar to how he had based his on me. He had chosen a lance due to the advice I had given him, but I had chosen duel daggers because I was reminded of him.

When I finished picking out the two daggers I liked, I looked up and blinked at Zero. He would be using a single-handed katana, something that sort of surprised me. I had never known what his secondary mastery was.

The two of us strode over to the middle of the field, standing a few meters apart. I was acutely aware of all the eyes that burned into me, the intensity of it all and how much pressure it seemed to put on me. I _wanted_ to do well, because I felt like if I didn't, I'd be disappointing them. They would wonder how I could possibly teach them anything if _I_ wasn't competent myself.

Yet, when I looked at Zero who seemed so unfazed, I couldn't help but let the weight of the stares fade a bit. He was looking at me calmly, composed. The look on his face was telling me not to get so worked up over it, that it was okay.

Or maybe I had just been reading into it too much.

"Don't go easy on me," I told him with a wide, teasing grin.

"I never planned to," he replied. I laughed at that, because I wasn't sure if he was lying or not. Zero seemed to be almost too chivalrous to lay hands on a lady in any way less than gentlemanly, but at the same time, I had never seen him sparring seriously before. Was it different if it was for practice?

I was so excited to find out that aspect of him.

"Start!" Gin declared from somewhere off to the side.

For a second, Zero and I remained rooted to the ground. Neither one of us moved. We just stood there, assessing each other cautiously and scrutinizing one another. We had never seen each other fight with these weapons, so we were both wary. We had no idea the extent of each other's abilities.

But then we were both rushing forward, meeting each other halfway. The sound of my daggers clashing against his sword rang throughout the clearing, and neither one of us hesitated. My leg flew up, preparing to slam into the side of his head, and his free hand shot out for my throat. I leaned backward to avoid his hand, while he ducked in order to dodge my leg. Both of us were thrown off balance, and our blades detached as I fell back and did a flip. He did a similar toss, though he had gone forward instead of back.

The distance between us hadn't changed at all, because we had both shifted over. It amused me how that happened, but I didn't have much time to think about it.

For a minute or two, the two of us kept switching from offensive and defensive. Our skill levels seemed to be very evenly matched. At one point, as he had swung at me, I had side-stepped and spun around, preparing to hold the dagger up to his throat. But he had pivoted out of the way instantly, and we continued flying around the field, turning, swivelling, jumping and ducking. We side-stepped each other often, and we ended up skidding along the floor so many times with so much force that there were slight grooves everywhere.

When he fought, his silver-strands of haired followed his every movement and shone when the minimal sunlight hit them. His light violet eyes were sharp, focused, intense. His features were still morphed into a scowl, but it seemed like a scowl that said he was concentrating, even though he made everything look so easy and effortless.

After pushing away from one another after a stalemate struggle for power over the other, we both slid a few feet away from each other. We circled each other quickly, but carefully just once, and then we were running at each other again. Our weapons surely would've come into contact with each other like they were supposed to—that is, if my foot hadn't caught onto a rather unnoticeable, but large stone ingrained into the earth that had gotten exposed from all our skidding.

My eyes widened when I realized I would fall and there was no way to catch myself, because he was right in front of me. I couldn't do a flip to stop my fall even if I wanted to, and it wasn't like I could suddenly do a back-flip while falling forward. It was so unexpected that I actually let out a small, surprised sound. Zero's expression, upon noticing the fact that I was actually _falling_ instead of _tackling_, instantly deepened a bit.

I wanted to tell him to get out of my way, but I couldn't speak fast enough.

Since I had no way to break my fall and Zero had been running too fast to stop, we ending up crashing into one another hard. Our bodies slammed into one another with a loud impact that made me dizzy, and as if that wasn't bad enough, Zero's momentum had propelled me backward, so I would end up falling onto my back instead.

My eyes widened when I felt his hand come up to touch the back of my head, gently pushing it into the crook of his neck. I knew that it didn't mean anything special, because he was just trying to make sure my skull didn't hit the floor, but for some reason, my heart leaped up to my throat. I stared at the colour and design of his tattoo against his ivory skin, inhaled his distinct and entrancing scent. I felt the strong muscles of his arms, the firmness of his chest and back, and I only had a second to realize I seemed so small encased in his arms.

Then my back hit the floor and I winced slightly because it caught me so off guard—I had been too busy thinking about him to prepare myself—and pain burst along me, but then Zero and I were rolling and rolling and rolling because there was so much momentum that we couldn't stop it.

I don't know how many times we tumbled over each other until we came to a stop. All I knew was that his hand cradled the back of my head to make sure it never hit anything, and although I wanted to do the same for him, I couldn't. I ended up clutching at the fabric of his trench coat instead, breathing in and shutting my eyes because I was so dizzy from all the tumbling.

Eventually, we came to a stop. Our weapons had been discarded somewhere along the way—thank _god, _it would've been horrible if we had accidentally stabbed each other while rolling—and I knew that Zero was the one who had his back pressed into the floor because nothing was touching my back except for the arm he had looped around my waist to keep me from flying off.

It took me a second to realize I still had my face in the crook of his neck, and when I did, I flushed dark red. I pushed myself up onto my palms and my knees, but when I did, a wave of wooziness swept over me again and I had to shut my eyes.

"Are you hurt?" His voice was so quiet in between us. I couldn't help but notice that although his arm had been removed from my waist, his hand still tentatively rested there with a feather-light touch, and that his other hand was still at the back of my head.

My eyelids fluttered as I tried to clear the vertigo that fogged up my mind and made the entire world spin. When the world didn't look like a nonsensical blur anymore, my eyes darted all over him, my eyebrows furrowing together. "Are _you_ hurt?"

"I'm fine," he answered. From what I could tell, he didn't have any broken bones or anything, not that I expected him to. Vampires were so sturdy. Although it didn't seem like anything a mundane couldn't handle, the speed that Zero had ran into me was immensely fast. The impact had been painful.

"I'm so sorry," I murmured. "I didn't intend for that to happen."

"It was an accident," he dismissed impassively. He stared at me for a few more heartbeats before saying, "Tashiro, get off of me."

It took me a few stuttering heartbeats to know what he was talking about.

"I-I'm so, _so_ sorry!" I exclaimed loudly, my eyes wide. I didn't even realize how close our faces were, how close our bodies were. I didn't even notice that his strands of silver had mixed in with my threads of red-brown in the lush green grass. My face burned like a volcano, and I scrambled off of him.

He pushed himself upright into a sitting position the moment I had gotten off of him, and he spared me a glance. Looking at him, with his clothes dirtied and his hair a mess, I couldn't help but laugh. Zero looked indescribably adorable with some bits of grass stuck into his hair and two streaks of dirt smudged along his left cheek.

The eighteen-year-old hunter frowned a bit at me. "What?"

Grinning, I reached out and plucked out a blade of grass for him to see. "You have a lot of grass in your hair."

He stared at the small, thin strand of grass for a moment before shifting his eyes up to meet mine. I blinked at him, and then he broke eye contact. He reached out and, just like I did, pulled a blade of grass out of my hair and showed me. "It's everywhere."

"You have dirt on your face," I told him with a bright, amused laugh. "Wait, I think I might have a handkerchief hidden inside the pocket of my jacket."

"Just leave it," he said, shaking his head to try and get rid of the grass and dirt. He ran a hand through is hair, sighing slightly when he saw his hand leaving his hair in a mess.

I reached inside my trench coat, searching for the fabric. It didn't take long for me to find it, and I pulled it out of the pocket with a flourish. The upwards tilt of my lips was wide as I held the red and gold plaid silk in one hand. "Okay, don't move."

"Tashiro, I _said_—"

"Stop moving!" I commanded, even though I ended up laughing. He tried moving his head away from me, but I rolled my eyes at him and grabbed his chin, forcing him to turn his dirt-smudged cheek to me. Carefully, I began to wipe away at the grime that marred his skin. It didn't take long, because it wasn't that big of a deal, and when I finished, I pulled away, beaming.

"Do you _ever_ listen?" he asked me, grimacing.

"Only when I think I should," I admitted honestly, the grin still etched onto my face. I ran a hand through my hair to try and get all the dirt and grass out.

Gin's voice was amused as he approached us. "Are you two okay?"

"No," I said sarcastically, looking at him very seriously. "We're on the verge of death, please save us!"

He rolled his eyes at me good-naturedly, then reached over and began violently ruffling my hair with both of his hands.

"Hey, Gin, what are you—stop!" Even though I was trying to sound angry, I still ended up laughing at the end of my sentences.

"I'm helping you get all the dirt and stuff out," he told me innocently, but the amusement and grin was in his voice. When he finally finished having his fun, my hair was a mess. I couldn't even see what was in front of me, and I knew it looked like a bird's nest because my soon-to-be brother-in-law guffawed loudly.

"You're a jerk," I told him, smiling. I began to run my hands through my hair, calming it and tearing a bit when the ends poked me in the eyes. When my hair was relatively tamed again, I took Gin's outstretched hand and let him help me up, following Zero's lead.

He began to dust himself off, and so did I. Gin helped me though, so I managed to finish cleaning myself off a bit faster. Zero had just started to walk away when I pranced after him and then swiped at the middle of his back.

Scowling, he looked at me over his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

I blinked at him in confusion. "There was still dirt there."

The vampire merely stared at me for a second longer before looking away again. I fell into stride beside him, a smile on my face.

* * *

><p><strong>TRAINING CAMP—DAY FOURTEEN [ LAST DAY ] <strong>

Akahana had been giving me less than amused looks yesterday as well as today. Daiki had also been pouting, looking agitated and unhappy. When I had asked him what was wrong, though, the light-haired trainee simply ignored me. I had asked Sora about it, but he had just looked at me like he was questioning my sanity before telling me it was nothing to worry about, since it was trivial.

Needless to say, I didn't understand.

But overnight, it had snowed. Everyone had been so ecstatic the moment they woke up and saw that everything had been blanketed by a layer of pure, untainted white. It was like a winter wonderland, because you could almost see the snow sparkling. It covered everything since it had snowed heavily for hours and hours. The snow was the nice kind, too—the soft kind that you could make snowballs with, rather than wet and slushy.

It was the last day of the training camp, and the last day of camp was always dedicated to having fun. Not the kind of fun where you needed to be exercising or anything, but just _fun_. Since there was so much snow and everyone was so excited about it, we ended up playing around together outside despite the fact that it was freezing cold and that our shoes, socks, and pants would all surely get wet.

Something hit me in the back. Hard. Mild pain burst in the area, and I turned around, mouth dropped to the floor, to see Lettie standing there with her hands behind her back and an innocent smile stretched across her face.

"You did _not_ just do that," I said, laughing as I reached down and grabbed a handful of snow. I rapidly shaped it into a ball as she began to run away, her ponytail flying out from behind her. I chased after her, amused because she obviously couldn't outrun me, and took a quick aim before reeling my arm back and throwing it. She managed to duck in time, and the snowball ended up hitting Gin in the shoulder blade.

That was exactly why I was _not_ a gunner.

Lettie laughed when Gin whirled around and pinned his gaze on me. "Oh, is _that_ how you want to play it, Ivy?" There was a humorously dangerous glint in his light chocolate eyes.

"No, Gin, I swear—" But he was already making his snowball, and I stopped speaking in order to flee. I couldn't help but let out a laugh as I ran. I dodged the snowball that came whizzing by me, and it ended up hitting Sora in the back of the head with a loud _thunk_!

The brunette froze for a second before mechanically turning around. Then, without a word, he whipped a snowball back at Gin so fast, none of us had seen him throw it. The white ball smashed into Gin's face, making him sputter.

And somewhere, somebody shouted, "Free-for-all snowball fight!"

Chaos ensued immediately. Snowballs flew everywhere, and people were running and screeching and some people tripped and other people tripped on top of them. But despite it all, laughter reverberated in the air like chimes, and everywhere I looked, they were smiling.

Despite the cold weather, I felt so warm.

A wicked grin was on my face when my snowball collided with a silver-haired hunter, who brushed it off, unfazed. And then, before I even saw it coming, he had thrown one that hit me in the stomach so hard, I almost doubled over wheezing.

"How—" I gasped slightly "—hard do you _throw_ those?"

"My bad." He didn't sound sorry or regretful about what he had done at all. I had just straightened myself up when he threw another one at me, this time at my shoulder. I tried giving him a dirty look, but I ended up just laughing as I launched one at him. He only had to shift slightly in order to dodge it, but his triumph over me was short-lived.

"Got you!" Daiki's voice called, smugness coating his tone as a snowball hit Zero squarely in the back of the head. The fourteen-year-old was a few meters behind Zero, an odd smirk adorning his features. His stance was a bit stiff, and it looked _almost _offensive.

The silver-haired hunter turned and stared at him, and the two of them seemed to have some kind of silent conversation that I couldn't understand.

I barely had time to think about it though, because I immediately got pelted by three snow balls. One hit me in the shoulder blade while the other two connected near my spine. It had been so unexpected and strong that I let out an, "Oof!" and stumbled forward a bit. When I turned around to see who it was, I almost wanted to sigh.

Akahana, of course.

She raised her eyebrow a fraction, like she was challenging me.

And although I wasn't entirely sure what we were trying to win, I didn't back down.

* * *

><p>"The best part of this training camp would be meeting everyone and making so many new friends," Hisako murmured, flushing a delicate shade of pink when everyone cooed. Yet when I looked around at everyone, they looked a bit embarrassed, too—they all felt the same way she did, I was sure.<p>

It was four-fifteen in the afternoon, and the bus bringing everyone back to the Association would be coming at five. Gin and I would be staying behind to clean up everything, and I somehow convinced Zero to head back to the Academy to get his stuff and wait for me so that we could go to the Tashiro house together.

At the moment, though, we were all sitting around in the dining room after showering and dressing into dry, warm clothes. We were sharing our thoughts on what the best part of the training camp was, even though that was such a common thing to do. When you spent so much time with the same people every single day and you all worked so hard together as a team, the bonds created were so strong. It meant a lot more than just mushy words or a cheesy sort of game.

But to make it a bit more interesting, we had decided there were no repeats allowed. It was entertaining to see them squirm for an answer, I had to admit. Hisako was lucky to go first. After her, someone had mentioned the fun experiences, another person had claimed that the snowball fight today had been the best, while another said that the simulations with icing blood had been the most fun. A boy stated he enjoyed the food the best, while a girl said she loved how the different stations, and another said that the spars had been the best.

"Getting to meet and work with I—" Daiki stopped himself short, and then he started coughing. His ears turned red, his face painting with the same colour. I raised an eyebrow at him, worried and amused at the same time. The people around him gave him smirks that I didn't understand. "Getting to meet and work with _everyone_," he stated with extra emphasize.

Next to him, Sora leaned his cheek against his fisted hand. He didn't even need to think about his answer as he replied fluently, "Learning valuable lessons from the people around me."

When it got to Mitsuru, he wracked his brain for something someone hadn't said yet. He settled for asking, "Getting to touch Bloody Rose?" Everyone laughed, and so did he. It was a silly answer, but that was fine.

"The best part is that now I can run up and down that stupid mountain trail ten times within the given time frame and _not_ feel like I'm dying," Lettie grinned. Another round of laughter, and she realized she had been the last one out of the students. She gestured toward us, the instructors since we were all seated at the front, and then asked, "What about you guys?"

Gin made a humming noise as he thought about it. "The best part was being able to tease you guys all the time and eavesdrop on your conversations about the latest gossip." The wide, sparkling grin on face was so playful.

"Seeing each and every single one of you improve, grow, and mature," I told them, smiling. "And, of course, witnessing all your embarrassing moments."

Zero's response seemed a bit too forced as he stated, "Seeing everyone work so hard." It was so clear that he wasn't the type to give compliments or take them.

"Being able to work with such a... _unique_ variety of people," came Emi's response. It sounded so awkward and strained coming from her. I wondered how long it took her to come up with such a response, because I knew that there was no way she had made it up on the spot.

When Trance's turn came, he closed his eyes briefly for a moment before saying in an apathetic voice, "Being treated respectfully."

And his words caused silence in the room, because it hit everyone so hard. I stared at the Tashiro with the dark, straight red hair and the left green eye. A tsunami of emotion washed over me, and my heart wrenched inside my chest, because yes, Trance was an amazing prodigy, but that didn't mean he was always treated with respect. Sometimes he was belittled or treated poorly _because_ he was considered a genius.

Just thinking about it made my heart hurt so, _so_ much.

A part of me knew _exactly_ how he felt.

Simultaneously, almost as if they had all come to a silent agreement, they all began to tell Trance that it was only natural, because he _was_ a prodigy and they admired him for it. Although my younger brother didn't look like he was moved to tears, he blinked his eyes slightly for a moment like he couldn't believe what he was seeing or hearing.

I wanted to tug him into my embrace and tell him that he deserved every single word they were saying, because even though he seemed harsh, cold, merciless, brutal—I knew that he wasn't. I knew that Trance was an incredibly kind person. It was an innate characteristic inside of him.

"The bus will be here soon," Gin commented. "It's time you guys get all your stuff and head outside to wait."

"Wait!" Lettie exclaimed. Everyone froze in their spots, turning to look at her. Her eyebrows furrowed together as she asked, "What was the last rule that you never told us?"

The six of us instructors briefly exchanged glances. And then Gin exclaimed, "To try your absolute best!"

It was silent inside the room for a while, as if it had stunned them speechless, and then they shook their heads and laughed as they headed off to get their things.

When the bus came and it was time to board, there were a lot of tackling hugs and some of them cried. There was some wailing, and some numbers and addresses and promises were exchanged. Sora and I agreed that we would meet up sometime during winter break, and Daiki gave me an odd stare that I returned with a puzzled one. After a while, his face flamed again and he muttered for my number as he gave me his. Akahana gave me a stone-like look as she boarded, and Lyle gave me a timid embrace.

The doors to the bus closed and I stepped back next to Gin. I waved at them and they waved back, pressing their faces against the windows. I felt a bit empty now that they were gone—I wouldn't wake up seeing their faces every day anymore, and I wouldn't hear their shouting or their complaints. After spending two weeks with them, it was odd how familiar with everyone I seemed, like how _right_ it was for them to be part of my life.

Having them disappear so suddenly gave off the feeling that something was missing. It was always like that after leaving camp back when I had been a student, too. I ended up missing the instructors and my fellow teammates and all the other trainees. I had actually missed how hard we got pushed to improve ourselves, how I would wake up in the mornings and have this pleasant, satisfying soreness in my muscles that told me I was working hard.

Gin glanced at me from the corner of his eyes once the bus was out of sight. The older hunter stretched his long arms up over his head for a while before letting out a soft sigh. "Let's clean up the camp quickly so we can get back."

I nodded my head, following his lead as he turned around. Since Gin and Lydia had been in a relationship for so long, it was natural that he had already moved in with us at our villa. Although he and Lydia had been engaged for three years, they had been in a relationship for seven. In all honesty, I admired their relationship so much, and was so awed. They met when they were trainees still, when Gin was fourteen and Lydia was eleven. They actually didn't have an amazing impression of one another, but they fell in love with each other over the years. The two of them had started dating when Gin was twenty-one and Lydia was eighteen. Even now, their relationship with each other is going so strong.

"I'm not quite sure how," I started, "but I managed to convince Zero to join us for break."

Surprise made Gin's footsteps falter for a moment, and he turned to look at me. Disbelief was etched onto his features, and his eyebrows were raised up high. "Seriously?"

I nodded my head and broke out into a grin. "It's going to be fun. I hope Lydia doesn't end up scaring him away from our family."

"I'd say that the chances of that happening are fifty-fifty right now. She's been dying to officially meet him for the longest time," Gin laughed, not worried about her interest in Zero at all. His voice held a note of affection in it while talking about Lydia, and his eyes always got a bit brighter. I thought it was absolutely lovely.

A soft sigh escaped me, and I rolled my eyes good-naturedly as I said, "I haven't told anyone else except for you that he's coming. I'm not sure whether it's better to keep Lydia in the dark so that she can't prepare for his arrival, or if it's worse to keep quiet because then she'll freak out the moment she sees him."

"Both will have similar results," he agreed, his lips pulled upwards across his face. "Keeping Lydia in the dark means letting Zero-kun's appearance surprise Arashi, though. Knowing your sister, she won't be able to keep her mouth shut about it."

"Yeah, but _your_ fiancée will have my head for keeping it from her," I retorted. Neither one of us wanted to associate ourselves closely with Lydia whenever she freaked out, but despite our words, we were completely joking. Although we did it when she wasn't with us, when she _was_, her reactions to our words were hilarious. She would always end up hitting someone or breaking something.

The oldest Tashiro sibling was undoubtedly the most aggressive.

"She'd go crazy on you even if you told her now," Gin pointed out smoothly.

"True." I paused, glancing over at him. "Are you going to tell her this when you get home?"

His smile was innocently mischievous as he shrugged a shoulder and whistled. "Who knows?"

"Gin!" I exclaimed, but he just laughed and swivelled around, preparing to go take down the ribbons that lined the camp's borders. I could only watch his back hopelessly as he left, because I knew that Gin was being Gin, and _he_ probably didn't even know what he'd do yet. Although he played it off casually, I had been around him long enough to know he never really thought things through meticulously. He was the type of person who improvised more often than not. _Way_more often than not.

Defeated, another sigh escaped me before I turned around and headed off in the opposite direction, preparing to help clean up.

* * *

><p>"Lydia will most likely be <em>really <em>overwhelming," I warned Zero brightly, glancing at him from the corners of my eyes. I had decided it would be easier to keep conversation if I was sitting in the back with him rather than in shotgun with the driver.

"I've heard," he answered, his head turned toward the window. I could see his reflection in the glass, see the way his eyes were closed and his facial expression was a bit more neutral compared to his signature scowl.

It was dark outside since it was nearing ten-thirty in the evening, and I wondered how tired he'd be. I didn't want him to be exhausted and then have to deal with my older sister, who would probably just drain all his energy until he collapsed. Although he had faint traces of weariness along his features, he didn't seem to be falling asleep. In fact, he seemed acutely alert and awake.

A smile began to play along my lips the more I thought about going back home to my family. It had been so long since the last time we had all been together, it was ridiculous. I was so excited, and I felt so elated I was given this opportunity. Two entire weeks with my siblings, Gin, and Zero. We obviously wouldn't be spending the entire two weeks altogether, but it was still amazing to think that we'd all be able to gather together for most dinners.

"Arashi will be in bed by the time we get there," I thought aloud. "He'll be so surprised when he sees you tomorrow morning. I think he might cry because he's so happy."

"I don't know why he's attached to me," Zero admitted, faint traces of bafflement in his tone. He sounded like he wanted to sigh, but stopped himself just before it could leave his lips.

"There are a lot of reasons," I pointed out to him, but didn't go into specifics. I knew that we'd just end up getting into another one of those long personality and perception talks that we seemed to have quite a lot. "I think that it might partially be my fault, though."

"What do you mean?"

Sheepish laughter escaped me, followed by the same kind of expression. "Well... The stories I told him just seemed to stick."

Zero remained quiet for a moment. He stared outside his window with a frown for a bit before slanting me his gaze. "Is he aware of what we are?"

"Seeing his sister and her friends locked up is quite an indication that something's not right," I tried to say lightly, though I'm not quite sure if I had succeeded. At the deepening of Zero's grimace, I smiled slightly and said seriously, "He's aware. He's not a genius like Trance, but Arashi knows. He's not scared, and he doesn't think all vampires are bad people. I guess that's the result of growing up with a hunter-turned-vampire sister and siblings who accepted that. We didn't raise Arashi up with the mindset of most hunters."

When I looked at him, he looked like he wanted to say something, but was holding himself back. I wanted to laugh a bit at him, because he should already know by now that I'd rather have him ask straightforwardly than keep it to himself and mull over it. Zero would probably end up thinking about it for days or weeks, and even then, it'd still linger in the recesses of his mind.

"If you have something you want to say or ask, just do it," I prompted with a grin. "I swear that I don't bite."

His eyes met mine, like he was assessing whether or not I was lying. After carefully scrutinizing me for a moment—I didn't even know what he was really looking for—his pale lilac eyes darted away. A heartbeat, two, and then he stated rather than asked, "Your grandparents don't have custody."

Since he had seemed relatively hesitant about what he had been about to say, I already knew that it would be something that would relate to my grandparents or to Shoto. I had steeled myself for it, refusing to lose my composure in front of him again. _Especially_ in such a short period of time.

Other than tensing slightly, I didn't give away how I was affected by his words. Blithely, I beamed at him. Although my words were spoken merrily, the sheet of seriousness that steadied my voice was manifest. "I'd rather die than let them have custody of Trance or Arashi."

The vampire looked at me solemnly, as if he was judging to see how much I meant it, and I reciprocated his gaze with an unfaltering one of my own. However, the car was slowing to a stop, and I could see the outline of the villa getting closer and closer—by now, we had surely already passed through the large front gates and were driving up to the front entrance.

As the car slowed and slowed and then eventually stopped, the driver informed us of our arrival. I kept my gaze on Zero and asked, "Ready?"

Rather than responding, he just looked away from me. Unbuckling himself, he opened up the door and smoothly slid out. I followed his lead with a grin, and the moment I stepped out, the cold of the night ate at my skin. It had been so warm inside the vehicle that I almost forgot that it was the winter season.

The chauffeur had opened up the trunk and tried helping Zero take out his suitcase and bags, but the silver-haired hunter hauled his own luggage out easily, slinging a duffle bag over his shoulder and setting down his suitcase onto the floor. We both said our thanks to the middle-aged man, who worked for the Tashiro family privately but whom I had only met once or twice, before he entered into the car and drove away.

Already having anticipated our arrival, the front porch's light was turned on, as were the small lights around the building. The shape of the building was an "L" with the longer side being the main portion of the villa. It was definitely large, yes—the small section of the house had no walls, but acted more like a deck that lead to the pool situated in the back. I hated that pool—or pools in general. I had never gone near it. There were two corner towers attached to the villa, their roofs extremely pointed. The walls were painted a standard white, while the roofs were tiled with dark mahogany that looked almost burgundy when the light hit it. The driveway leading up to the house was lined with cherry blossom trees with flower gardens on either side. A few of the lights were on inside the house, which meant that people were still awake.

Zero stared at it for a while, but I was already making my way up the marble steps to the front double doors, grabbing his suitcase out of his grasp. He immediately snapped out of it when I did that, a scowl settling on his face once more. He followed after me, not saying anything because he probably already knew I'd disagree anyway.

Before I could even knock on the wooden door, it flung open and someone threw herself at me. Only an inch or two taller than I was despite being eight years older, Lydia wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me tightly. I returned her embrace, grinning widely because I was so happy to see her. It had been so long, it could've been forever.

But soon her loving embrace turned into a deadly, bone-crushing one, and somehow I found myself in a headlock. "You little witch," she hissed, bringing her face close to mine. Her bright, fire-engine red hair made her look like she was a ball of fire about to burn me.

Not allowing me time to protest, Lydia tightened her hold on me before letting me go and shoving me behind her. She whirled around to look at Zero, her hands on her hips and a wicked smile on her face. "Hey there! We already know each other, so let's skip the introductions." She stabbed her thumb over her shoulder at me, and said, "Thanks for saving her ass all the time, god knows she needs it. She probably causes you a ton of trouble, and I want to feel bad for you, but in all honesty, I don't." She grinned and slapped him hard on the back.

"Lydia," Satoshi's deep, humming bass sighed in a chiding tone. He appeared at the doorway, dressed in a white sweater and jeans. "At least _try_ to be more civil."

"You don't even know what you're talking about." Lydia rolled her eyes, flipping her hair. Out of all of us, Lydia's hair was the only one that naturally curled at the ends. She didn't particularly like it, which was why the strands barely touched her shoulders. Due to her high body temperature, Lydia was dressed for summer even though I was freezing.

My older brother raised an eyebrow at her before turning to face Zero. He smiled and opened the door wider, stepping aside. "Please come in, Zero. You must be tired—sorry about Lydia."

Slowly, Zero picked up his suitcase and stepped into the house, his footsteps barely even creating a whisper against the onyx marble. He had entered into the spacious foyer, which had shelves for shoes pushed up onto one side of the wall and a rug right after stepping inside. "Sorry for the intrusion."

I entered in after, and silently, Satoshi pulled me into him for a tight, warm embrace that made me smile. He ruffled my hair lightly and gave me a gentle smile before looking at Zero again. "Welcome to our villa, Zero."

"Thank you," came the said man's quiet response.

"If _someone_ had informed us of your visit earlier, we could've celebrated, but _no_." The oldest Tashiro sibling shot me a pointed glower and said, "It just _had_ to be a stupid goddamn surprise. Do you _know_ what I could have done, Ivy? I could've done something amazing."

"Nothing can be more amazing than letting the poor man get some rest," Gin piped, poking his head into the foyer. He grinned at the silver-haired hunter, whose eyebrows pulled together in imperceptible confusion. "Yo."

Lydia snorted, looking displeased. "He could've handled it just fine."

"Did Trance come back yet?" I asked curiously, looking at the three of them. I hadn't exactly expected him to come down and greet us, but I couldn't hear him at all.

"Yes, he did," Satoshi notified me. He let out a small chuckle as he continued, "He's fallen asleep with Arashi. It seems like something has worn him out a lot over the past two weeks." He looked over Zero and I, then added, "You two look tired as well. Here, Zero, let me accompany you to your room."

"The only reason I'm not dragging you along for a tour," Lydia started, "is because everyone else said no. And that Arashi and Trance are already sleeping, which means that the villa tour will be postponed until tomorrow! I'll be taking you around, and feel free to make yourself at home. I'm sure that Satoshi will tell you all about the blah blah blahs."

Gin rolled his eyes with a smirk. "Why do I feel like the tour that you plan on giving him tomorrow is just going to be a bunch of sentences ending exactly with 'blah blah blah'?"

Lydia scowled at him and pointed a finger past him and up the large winding staircase. "Get your ass in bed."

Laughing, Gin followed her instructions. "Yes, yes." He didn't stop in his trek as he yawned and said, "Good night, guys."

"Good night," Satoshi and I chimed together.

The twenty-two-year-old Tashiro looked down at me and encouraged, "You should go take a shower and then get some rest, Ivy."

Scoffing, Lydia corrected, "Not even in her wildest _dreams_. Ivy and I are going to share a long, _long_ talk about something like _etiquette_ and how she's going to be lucky if I ever buy her another manga volume again." She placed her hands on my shoulders and began to push me forward, giving me barely enough time to take off my shoes.

"Okay, okay," I told her with a laugh. I looked back at Zero and Satoshi, beaming at them. "If you ever need help or anything, we'd all be glad to offer it. Satoshi can tell you which room's whose. I'll see you in the morning! Make yourself comfortable, okay? Good night!"

"Good night, Ivy," Satoshi replied. He paused only briefly before adding, "Lydia, you better not keep her up all night again."

"Stop nagging me like an old lady!" Lydia exclaimed, throwing a scowl over her shoulder. "Go show Zero his room already. There's no need to worry about Ivy and I at all. No need _at all_. I mean, who would keep Ivy up all night to make fun of her and make her spill her guts out and force her into admitting she deserves to get hit in the face with rotting fish? 'Cause I know that's not me!"

My older brother sighed, mumbling something under his breath. But I couldn't hear him or hear what Zero said, because we had already left the foyer and started up the stairs. Her grip on me was strong, but it wasn't painful.

I was worried about Zero and how he'd feel, being thrown into this rather insane household so suddenly and so late at night, but Satoshi was really good with people. I was sure that he would be able to help the future President feel a bit more at ease. Nonetheless, I felt a bit anxious and nervous—he would be spending two weeks living with my entire _family. _

Even so, as Lydia shoved me into the bathroom connecting to my bedroom and slammed the door shut, I couldn't help but smile.

I was home.

And I was so excited for the upcoming two weeks.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

Ivy's excited for the upcoming two weeks of the winter break arc, and I'm just so excited to write it. HAHAHA. She has no idea how excited _I_ am. I MEAN, FINALLY. YOU GUYS, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW LONG I'VE BEEN WANTING TO WRITE THIS ARC, IT'S GOING TO BE SO FUN.

And so this chapter concluded the end of the training camp, and the very start of the winter break one! I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter! Ivy's clumsiness and lack of coordination despite being a vampire has shown itself again. I found it great how I hadn't even planned for that to happen, but it did, and I felt like it was just so _her_ that I didn't take it out. HAHA.

OKOK, since this was a double update, there won't be walls of texts and thank yous and etc, etc!

I also realize that, if you guys read my beginning author's note of the last chapter and got my little sidenote and actually had a response, I didn't give you guys anything to go on. -SLAPPED- But it's just me being curious about anyone who'd be interested in... me? Me being a dork? ME IN MY EVERY DAY HABITAT? I don't even know. But if you ARE interested in that, please DO tell me in a review or a PM! I'd much appreciate it!

Adding onto that, the question for this chapter specifically is...

**QUESTION: What's your first impression of Lydia? ;D**

Please share with me your thoughts about the question, the chapter, my own little personal curiosity through a review or a PM! I'd love to hear what you have to say!

I hope to see you guys soon, and I hope you guys enjoyed this double update!

STAY WELL, OK GUISE? (:

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	26. Suits of Armour

**DISCLAIMER: No, I do not own Vampire Knight or any of the characters. All rights belong solely to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N:**

It's 4:15 AM.

Guise.

GUISEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

**A FEW QUICK WORDS BEFORE I LET YOU READ THE CHAPTER AND I GET MY ASS INTO BED: **

1. NO. I am NOT going to be giving up on this story ( or any of my other stories )! It's just that my updates and their timings will be questionable, and the finish line for my stories are... ambiguous... THEY ARE IN THE FUTURE, BUT THEY WILL ARRIVE! I SWEAR. BELIEVE ME.

2. Yes. Yes, I am ALIVEEE. HI. (x

3. I'VE MISSED YOU GUYS, AND THIS, AND ASDFGHJKL. I AM SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG.

4. Did I mention how sorry I am for taking so long?

5. **I honestly appreciate ALL OF YOU so much.** THANK YOU for your time and patience, THANK YOU for your continuous support and encouragement, THANK YOU for being so lovely and amazing and understanding, THANK YOU for waiting and continuing to love what I write and, y'know, hopefully me. LOL. You guys are magnificent, marvelous human beans, and you guys don't know how happy I am, or how immensely grateful I am, to have you guys.

**Thank you.**

6. Did I mention I'm not going up on this story and that I'm sorry for being late with updates? LOL. I WILL TRY MY BEST TO UPDATE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. SOB.

On that note?

ENJOY.

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX;**

_"Suits of Armour"_

* * *

><p><strong>WINTER BREAK—DAY ONE <strong>

Just before I was about to grab onto the handle and yank the door open, my body froze as a reminder rang inside my mind. Even though I was home and with my family, Zero probably wouldn't appreciate my lack of manners if I just barged into his room like I would do with my siblings. I had to remind myself to knock.

When the door opened up shortly afterward to reveal the silver-haired hunter, I immediately felt my lips extending up into a smile. I had almost been worried that everything had been a dream and that he _hadn't_ decided to come along.

"Good morning!" I greeted. His expression wasn't sleepy, and it seemed to be relaxed of his scowl. He was dressed in casual clothing that consisted of a white dress shirt and a black sweater vest over it. White lines ran parallel close to the edges of the sweater, and black pants covered his long legs, his white belt noticeable.

"Morning," he returned.

"I'm surprised you're awake," I told him with a grin. "It's still pretty early. If you wanted to, you could've slept in." I paused, then added with a small laugh, "And there's no need to dress formally or anything. Satoshi dresses like that because he likes the elegance of it, but if you want to dress in t-shirts and sweats, feel free to. Honestly, treat this as if it's your own home—get comfortable. _Really_ comfortable. We'd prefer that, rather than have you think you always need to be polite."

Zero observed me in silence for a moment. I probably imagined it, but I almost felt like his face softened a bit. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to know if you were awake," I said. "And since you are, I want to escort you down to the kitchen for breakfast." I stepped back to allow him room to step out into the hallway, and I bowed dramatically with a hand over my heart and the other outstretched toward the direction of the staircase.

A soft sigh came from him, and he closed his bedroom door. He spared me a glance as he passed, commenting, "Aren't ladies supposed to curtsey?"

Straightening myself, I rushed to catch up with his long, confident strides. From the looks of it, he knew where he was going. I skipped ahead, whirling around to face him as I continued walking backwards. With a laugh, I remarked brightly, "Only the normal ones."

"You _are_," he started slowly, quietly, "quite odd."

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, positively beaming. How I saw it, it wasn't offensive at all. "Everyone's weird in their own ways. It's what makes everyone special and irreplaceable, right?"

His response wasn't exactly what I was expecting, because his eyes widened just a millimeter, and he began to stretch an arm out towards me. "Oi, Tashiro, there's—"

"My name's—" I cut him off, but my sentence was broken short when I stepped backward and my foot didn't meet solid ground. Instead, I found myself tipping backwards, and I wanted to slam my head into the wall and slap myself at the same time. The _stairs. _

One of Zero's arms reached out to grasp onto my wrist, while the other slipped around my waist. He didn't pull me into his chest, but he pulled me close enough for me to steady myself.

"Thank you," I breathed, blinking. My heart raced around in my chest and then pounded on it, like it was demanding to be set free from my ribcage. When I looked up at him, he was scowling at me.

"Are you an idiot?" he asked me, a slight edge to his voice. "How do you not remember the floor plan of your own house?"

"Sorry," I murmured as he released me. Immediately, I missed the brief warmth he'd given me. It was strange, because I could almost feel my skin tingling underneath the fabric of the faded denim shirt I wore. "I've only spent two months here before. It's been so long, a lot of the distances and rooms have been jumbled up in my memory."

Nothing changed in this expression except for the nearly undetectable narrowing of his eyes. "Two months?"

For a moment, I was confused about why he looked at me like that—like _he_ was perplexed. But then I realized that I hadn't explained it to him yet, and I ended up chuckling at myself as I turned around and continued down the stairs. I stared down at my feet and the steps as I descended, because a part of me was scared that I would just end up misplacing a step and plummeting all the way down.

Clasping my hands together behind my back, I explained, "It's something that happened a while before—five years ago, actually." Everything always seemed to have started five years ago. "Families were torn during that time due to their differences in ideas on how to deal with us, and the Tashiro family wasn't an exception. Lydia was so furious that she ended up moving out, and although Lydia and Gin weren't engaged yet, they ended up deciding to live together. It was too hard on Satoshi and Trance, too. And it wasn't as if they would leave Arashi with my parents _or_ my grandparents. Everyone ended up moving out. Lydia, Gin, and Satoshi are the ones who bought this villa with their own earnings, so this isn't the house I grew up in. The main Tashiro mansion is farther away, in a slightly more remote and quiet area.

"I was locked up for a long time." I hopped lightly off the last step of the large, winding black staircase and looked at him as I said, "Even though I've been allowed out for a bit over a year now, I only spent the first two months of my release in this house before I had to leave due to the Association's wishes. This is my second time back in this house. But even though I've spent so little time here, it's a home I love very much."

Two months out of seventeen years of life seemed like nothing, but it meant the world to me. Because this was an infinitely better home than the main mansion. That place _used_ to feel like a home, _used_ to be a place that I adored and couldn't wait to go back to.

Then I realized that maybe I had just been naive.

"You've only _just_ been released?" There were traces of incredulity in Zero's quiet, smooth voice. A frown marred his features, his eyebrows pulled together over solemn, intense eyes that made me nearly forget how to breathe. "A year ago?"

Slowly, I nodded my head in a bewildered manner. I looked back at him with the same knot in my eyebrows, but mine was created from confusion. "What's the matter?"

"How—" Abruptly, Zero clamped his mouth shut. His lips thinned into a line, the furrow in his eyebrows deepening. He was tense, his sentence swallowed back. The sudden change in his character both worried and perplexed me.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, frowning. "Are you sick? Do you have a fever?"

Shaking his head, his silver hair followed the motion like spiders' threads. He ran a hand through the silky tresses roughly, not seeming bothered by the fact that they fell into his eyes. The vampire seemed a bit agitated as he muttered, "It's nothing."

Scrutinizing him carefully for a moment, not quite believing him but not wanting to press him too much, I settled for saying, "If you're sure."

I didn't know why, but I had a feeling that even if I asked him, he wouldn't tell me anyway.

By now, we had just about reached the kitchen. The sliding, soundproof door was opened, so chattering was heard inside. Or, well, it was basically Lydia's loud voice talking with some input from the two men now and then, followed by Arashi's comments. I knew that Trance was in the room, but he remained silent.

Before going into the kitchen, I silently gestured for Zero to remain outside for a bit. I was sure that nobody had told Arashi about his arrival, and I wanted to see the reaction from my youngest brother. He would be absolutely delighted. The expression on Zero face asked me the obvious question, "_Why_?" but I merely gave him a bright, encouraging smile that I hoped made him feel a bit more comfortable and reassured before I entered into the kitchen, piping, "Good morning, everyone!"

"Good morning," they all chorused in different tones and expressions. Except for Trance, of course. The dark-haired Tashiro merely stared at the plate in front of him, his head bowed and his hair covering his face. I tried not to let my heartache show on my face, and not to dwell on it.

The kitchen was pretty large, and it connected with the dining room with another sliding door. The tiles were white, and so were the walls. One of the walls had an enormous window to allow sunlight in—or, well, sunlight during the summers—and there were large cabinets resting alongside the length of the wall next to it. They were brown, neither light nor dark but somewhere in the middle, and the countertops were white. A silver fridge was placed near the corner, and the microwave and toaster next to it. A large, rectangular island was placed a bit farther out since there was so much room, and it had walnut barstools placed around it, occupied by Trance, Gin, and Lydia with another one empty. Since the house had a tower-like structure attached to it, there was a curve that reached outwards before caving back in along one of the sides. We had a small table there, along with a semi-circle loveseat pushed into it, which fit perfectly. Satoshi sat there with Arashi.

Immediately upon seeing me, Arashi jumped off of the seat and hurled himself at me. He wrapped his small arms around my waist and squeezed me tightly, a gesture I returned. When he got tired of squishing me so tightly, he loosened his grip and looked up at me with wide, sparkling eyes and an equally brilliant smile on his face, showing off the prominent dimples he had. "You're back, Ivy!"

"Yup!" I grinned at him and ruffled his hair. "How have _you_ been?"

"Good, I think. Not super good. Just good." He didn't need me to ask him why, because he told me, "Lydia got mad at me."

Raising my eyebrows at him for a moment, my eyes flickered up to rest on my older sister, who merely rolled her eyes, folded her arms across her chest, and turned away. Gin followed her eye-rolling, but he was smiling.

I let my eyes fall back on my youngest brother and then asked, "She did? Why?"

"Because..." Arashi's eyebrows puckered together, his lips pulling downwards. A look of concentration began to set onto his features solemnly. He tapped himself on the cheek with a small index finger, like he expected that to help him remember. "Because..." And once it hit him, his eyes widened and he let out a small gasp. "Oh, _oh_! Because she was reading Arashi a bedtime story from one of her picture books and I called the guy weird, but it's because he wears really, _really_ ugly clothes! And I kept singing Christmas songs, because it's almost _Christmas_, so it's okay to sing Christmas songs, isn't it? And I always asked if you were coming back this year, Ivy, because I want to see you! And I ask for Zero too, but Lydia told me to stop asking."

Halfway through his explanation, I wanted to slam my palm into my face and smile at the same time. Lydia had gotten angry at him for calling one of her bishounens weird due to their odd articles of clothing? That sounded _exactly_ like her, and I didn't know whether to give her an exasperated look or an amused one.

In our family, we played the "Santa game" with Arashi, which was why he was always so excited. It had been an unanimous decision that we would let him continue believing that Santa Clause existed until he was old enough to figure out the truth. It just seemed like we were robbing him of his childhood fantasies if we told him outright that the jolly bearded man that had reindeers pulling his sled around the world to deliver presents didn't actually exist. It made us feel as if we were forcing him to grow up faster and mature quicker than someone his age should.

Although... perhaps _we_ were the delusional ones, because he wasn't a normal six-year-old boy that would live an ordinary life.

Some people would disagree with how we raised Arashi. They wanted us to bring him into the world of hunters and vampires faster so that he was more aware, more informed about it. They wanted him to have as much experience as soon as possible, but _how_? Even though he was a hunter, he was still a little boy with a life of his own. Dragging him into a dark world faster than he needed to enter it was ridiculous.

Looking at him now, with his lips pushed into a pout and his eyebrows still strung together like he was gravely confused, I couldn't help but want to shield him from the world of vampires and hunters for an eternity.

Because what if it broke him like it broke me?

"It's okay, I think that the guy that Lydia likes so much in her manga is weird, too," I reassured him with a small laugh. "And of course it's okay to sing Christmas songs! Why wouldn't it be?" I beamed at him for a moment before saying, "I have a surprise for you, Arashi."

His signature Tashiro eyes widened in excitement. He began hopping up and down on the spot, tugging at the sleeves of my denim shirt. "But it's not Christmas yet! What is it, what is it? Oh, Ivy, please tell me! _Please?_"

My grin was wide. It had been such a long time ago that I had seen him so enthusiastic and so full of energy. "Okay, okay. Wait just a second?" When he nodded his head vigorously, strands of his red-brown hair fell into his face and he didn't bother to push them away. I made sure he wouldn't follow me as I walked out into the hallway that Zero was standing in, arms folded across his chest and leaning against the wall.

A scowl was on Zero's face when he looked at me, but I just smiled wider at him and gestured for him to come. When he was close enough, I grabbed him by the wrist and practically dragged him into the kitchen with me.

Arashi let out a loud, surprised gasp. His doe-like eyes widened even more than usual, and they sparkled like water did when sunlight hit it just right. He was staring at Zero in awe and delight, while the silver-haired hunter's scowl softened into a neutral expression that could almost pass for a ghost of a smile.

And then Arashi ran towards Zero, jumping and tackling the older male. But Zero didn't even stumble slightly, remaining rooted to the spot. His reactions were fast, because he immediately caught my younger brother and held him up the way he held me up when I had my illness attack during the rebellion—one arm hook around the back of the knees and allowing him to sit on the arm. Arashi's arms went around Zero's neck as he hugged the lavender-eyed hunter tightly.

"Good morning," Zero's quiet voice murmured. His eyes darted around the room, signaling that he wasn't just speaking to Arashi.

Arashi spoke before anyone else could, his words stringing together as he tumbled over them. His cheeks were flushed delicately with thrill. "Zero, good morning! Arashi can't believe you're _here_! Because when I asked Lydia or Sato or Trance or Gin or anyone else, they said they didn't know if you're coming or not, but you're here! I've wanted to play with you again for so long!"

"Is that so?" Zero asked, glancing over to me, then over to where he had been sitting with Satoshi. An unfinished plate of omelette lay there, along with a bowl of fruit and a glass of milk. "You didn't finish eating yet."

My younger brother let out a surprised noise, completely having forgotten about his breakfast. "Will you sit and eat with me, Zero? Ivy too?"

"Of course," I told him. I looked up at Zero and asked, "What kind of omelettes do you like?"

"Anything is fine," he accommodated. It was only after Satoshi and I had gestured for Zero to approach the circular couch that he finally moved, bringing Arashi over. My older brother shifted over to allow more room, though there was plenty to fit four.

I turned and looked at Lydia. "You heard him. I think that chicken and mushrooms would be good for both of us."

She narrowed her topaz eyes at me. She was the only Tashiro—aside from those whom were married into the family rather than born into it—that didn't have the Tashiro marker of heterochromia. I knew that she hated it. She _wanted_ to have eyes like us. We had talked about it once, and she had confessed that sometimes she felt like not having the same eyes made her seem like less of the family, which wasn't true at all. Nonetheless, she was insecure about it, even now.

"Since when were _you_ skilled in the field of being an asshole?" she asked, but she still got up off the barstool and headed towards the fridge. Her naturally curled hair bounced with each step she took.

"Lydia," Satoshi reprimanded lightly, reminding her that Arashi was still in the room. But from the way it happened so offhandedly, it was obvious that it happened so many times already and that no habits had been changed.

I was smiling at her as I leaned onto the island across from Gin. "I've polished myself up before coming back, of course. I mean, how else will I survive the next two weeks stuck with you, right?"

She gave a sarcastic laugh. "Oh, you're funny. Funny to the point where I want to kick you out of the house after shaving you bald. And to think that I _actually_ missed you." She gave a dramatic sigh.

"Ouch, that hurts," I returned her sarcasm. But I ended up laughing, walking over and slinging an arm across her shoulders into a brief side-hug. I didn't need to say anything else, because this was how we were—we were so used to each other, we could translate one another's words and actions easily.

Gin's grin was in his voice as he commented, "Even after so many years, I still can't believe you guys are all siblings. I mean, _really_."

"Say that again and I'll castrate you," Lydia retorted instantly.

"What do you mean?" I asked, tilting my head as I stared at the onyx-haired hunter's back.

He whirled around on the barstool, a bright smile on his face. "You're all so different. It's just interesting that the five of you all have such versatile personalities yet have the same morals and values, despite growing up in less than ideal environments."

I quirked an eyebrow at him, and said, "Yes, because growing up with parents who loved us and loving siblings is definitely less than ideal."

From beside Gin, Trance slammed his fork onto the table as he stood up. The sound was so loud, it startled me. He whirled on me, his visible green orb frozen, yet blazing with a flame so bright that it almost hurt to look at him. "Shut _up_. You have _no_ idea what the hell you're talking about."

Befuddlement clouded my features as my younger brother towered over me. He was only fourteen, but he was still much taller than I was. His voice had been so cold, so full of contempt, that I almost took a step back from him. I didn't understand what he was saying, because _what_ did I not have a clue of?

"They didn't _love_ us," he hissed, his eye narrowing into a fierce glower. He spoke in clipped tones full of anger as he spat through gritted teeth, "Don't try and make it out as a happy family when it wasn't."

It didn't register for a second, but when it did, so many emotions rammed into me that I couldn't tell them apart. Pain slammed into my chest, wrenching it, and I couldn't help but feel my face contort slightly into an expression that I couldn't even imagine. I tried to smooth it out as fast as I could, but from the way Trance tensed and his face turned stony, it was obvious I hadn't done it fast enough.

"You're right," I managed to say in a rather even voice, blinking at him. I agreed with him completely on the fact that my parents probably never truly loved me in the first place. "They _didn't_ love me, but I was happy despite that. And I want to think that, before everything..." I swallowed, because the words seemed to get stuck in my throat. "You were happy, too."

Trance's eyes met mine, and we stared at each other for a long time. Nobody in the room spoke, because my siblings already knew that anything that happened between Trance and I wasn't something either of us wanted them to butt their heads in. Zero remained silent as well, observing.

The silence was tense. Conflict hung in the atmosphere. Trance was staring at me with a freezing expression on his face, his lips thinned and his jaw set. A vein in his neck was bulging, and his eyes were tightened. His fists' knuckles were turning white. I couldn't read him, couldn't even _try_ to decipher him. Although he wasn't the most cheerful child in the past, he was definitely less hostile, less aggressive. He laughed and smiled back then.

Back then.

"Don't joke with me." He was the one to break eye contact first. His eyes fell to the floor, and he shut them briefly before turning away from me. Posture still rigid, hands still clenched, he began heading out the kitchen.

"Hey, asswipe, where do you think you're going?" Lydia demanded, breaking the silence between everyone.

"My room," he answered flatly.

"And what about the breakfast I put my time into making that you clearly didn't finish?" There was an expectant tone in her voice.

Trance scoffed, already out in the hallway as he warned, "_Don't_."

"The selfish little brat," my sister muttered as she finished making both Zero and my omelettes. She placed them onto the plate and then started on the hashbrowns, sliding the plates into a heated oven to keep them warm.

"I'll eat it." Gin reached over and pulled Trance's unfinished plate towards him, staring down at the half-eaten meal.

"Sorry," I sighed my apology to everyone. My eyebrows furrowed together as I murmured, "I didn't think I said something that would hurt him." I hadn't ever heard him say anything like that to me before. I couldn't help but wonder if that was how he had always seen things.

From where he sat, Satoshi shook his head. He ran a hand through his wavy dark brown hair—only faintly tainted red—along his right side, which was the side that he never bothered to slick back. His smile was gentle, yet also somewhat apologetic as he said, "Rather than hurt, it's more like he's just angry."

Why did Satoshi have an almost guilty look in his eyes? I bit my tongue to keep from asking that. "What exactly did I say?"

I didn't miss the way Satoshi, Lydia, and Gin exchanged fleeting looks. They all tensed a bit, their eyes verbally communicating in a language that I couldn't understand. As much as they didn't wedge themselves into arguments or hostility between Trance and I, they also didn't allow me to pry into his life. I never understood why, and it bothered me, but I knew that it had to be something important.

It was unfair for my siblings, because they were caught in between the crossfire between two of their other siblings. I knew what it was like being the ones in the middle of an argument—wanting to help, wanting so _desperately_ to help, but not being able to because the other parties didn't want your head to be butt into their business. It was a defining trait in all of us Tashiro siblings—our respect for one another and their decisions, our trust for one another.

A lot of people would call this a fault in our relationships. We trusted each other _too_ much, respected each other to the point of idiocy. They said that people get caught up in themselves, that they were ruled by emotions, pride, and impulses. That ultimately, everyone was selfish and it no matter how close we were as siblings, when it came down to it, didn't everyone think just of themselves?

But they didn't understand.

We knew each other better than that. We were as close as siblings could ever possibly get. We shared everything with each other, and we would always be brutally honest. We stood on equal ground.

We all mattered so, so much to each other.

So instead of letting them struggle to reach an answer, I just shook my head with a small laugh. "Never mind. Forget I asked, okay?"

"Ivy—" Satoshi started.

"I understand," I interrupted him gently. I gave my older brother a smile, because I did. If they couldn't tell me, it was because it was significant. Because it was something that Trance didn't want to be discussed, that they believed I needed to sort out with him by myself. It was something they thought wasn't their _right_ to tell me, and answers needed to come from the person himself.

It wouldn't happen anytime soon, but it would eventually. One day.

"Here, I'm done being your slave for the day." Lydia took the plates out of the oven with a mitten and placed the hashbrowns next to the omelettes. She set them on the island, sliding them toward me. I managed to stop them before they both slid off the counter.

"What about dinner?" I asked innocently.

"I'm cooking," Gin piped brightly, smiling widely at me. He and Satoshi were probably the only ones who were multi-talented in the food department, although Gin preferred cooking over baking and Satoshi was the complete opposite.

"Nice," I grinned at him, picking up the two plates with the mittens Lydia tossed at me. I walked over to where Zero was, placing one down in front of him.

"Thanks," he said, glancing down at the food then up at me.

I beamed at him and threw over my shoulder, "He said thanks, Lydia!"

"I can _hear_ him," she shot back. She whirled to face us, waving around the dirty spatula. She was scowling at Zero as she warned him, "You better eat everything on that plate. If you don't, I'll shove it all down your throat and I won't care if you puke it up, do you understand?"

"_No_! Stop it, Lydia!" Arashi exclaimed, sounding indignant in an adorable sort of way. His eyebrows were pulled tightly over his eyes and he was half-pouting, half-frowning as he said, "Don't bully Zero, okay? I won't let you bully him." And then he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her.

He had looked surprised at first, but then Zero's eyes were so incredibly kind as they rested on my younger brother. He placed a hand on Arashi's head and gently, oh so gently, ruffled his hair. "It's okay, I'm not being bullied."

"No!" Arashi huffed, his eyebrows pulling together more. "Lydia's _bullying_ you! It's okay, I'm not scared. I will protect you." He said it so seriously with that half-frown, half-pout pulling at his lips, and slightly glazed over eyes that I felt my insides melting from how utterly adorable he was.

Gin laughed, Satoshi chuckled, and Lydia cracked a grin. I ended up smiling so affectionately at my brother, I was sure if someone were to poke me in the face, it'd just cave in from being so soft.

If possible, Zero looked at him with a look even more tender than before.

"Okay, okay," Lydia rolled her eyes, but the smile that was on her face gave her away. "I'll stop bullying him, so don't look like that."

"Lydia doesn't like wasting food," Gin explained to Zero, the laughter still in his voice.

"What would you like to drink, Zero?" I asked him curiously, heading over to the fridge.

"Water is fine," he answered.

"I should've known," I replied, chuckling faintly. I brought out the cups, getting him some water. I placed it down in front of him, waving off his thanks with a smile, and began making my own coffee for the day. "Are we doing anything today?"

Lydia was washing the dishes as she pointed out, "We need to give Zero a tour of the house. You should come along, since you're an idiot and you've probably already forgotten half of the building even though it's the best house ever."

"Aside from the tour," Gin started, "I don't really know."

"Is there anything you guys would like to do?" Satoshi inquired.

Instantly, my younger brother voiced loudly, "I want to play with Ivy and Zero!"

"Have anything in mind, little man?" Satoshi grabbed a napkin and gently wiped at the mess of ketchup on Arashi's face from the hashbrowns.

Arashi thought about it for a while, and then shook his head. "I just want to play something."

"How about we stay at home for the day?" Gin suggested. "It's the first day of break, and everyone's pretty tired. We can rest up for the day, relax, get used to everything—" he gave Zero and I pointed looks and smiles, "—and then do something together tomorrow. I heard it's going to snow heavily tonight, so tomorrow there's going to be a lot of fresh snow. I'm sure that Arashi would like to play with it."

"Snow?" Arashi repeated, his voice and expression lighting up. "Yes, yes! I want to make a big snowman! And one of those big house things—those ijoos... igoos?"

"Igloos," we all chimed in.

"_Igloos_, yes!" he clapped his hands. "That's what I said!"

More laughter. Even Zero seemed to crack a bit—I saw his lips slant upwards just slightly. It was a beautiful sight, even though it wasn't a true full-fledged smile.

"I guess it's decided then," Satoshi said, grinning.

"Yeah, yeah," Lydia replied. She looked at me and said, "Hurry your slow ass up, Ivy. I don't want to wait all day to provide you a tour of a house you're supposed to be familiar with. I actually have stuff to _do_, if you know what I mean."

"Nobody said we wanted _you_ to give us a tour," I retorted with a laugh. "Satoshi or Gin can do it ten times better."

"What's that? You want me to rip all your books to shred? No problem, no problem," she retorted.

"You know all those manga books stacked up in your room? I'm sorry if they're all gone tomorrow," I threw back, smiling when she glowered at me.

"If you do that, I will—"

"Oh, c'mon," Gin sighed, though his lips were pulled upwards. "Lydia, you don't have _anything_ to do today. Just leave the poor girl alone, she's finally home after so long."

"I agree with Gin!" I exclaimed, stirring the coffee I had just finished making. I made my way over to where my breakfast was, and I sat beside Arashi, who sat in between Zero and I.

Lydia scowled at her fiancée. "You _always_ take her side, dick."

"_Lydia_," Satoshi chided, but anyone could hear the amusement that laced his voice. He shook his head at us, murmuring, "Thank god Arashi hasn't picked up on her habits."

"I _heard_ that, Satoshi!"

"Oh, I'm fully aware," came laughing his response.

"You guys are all a waste of my time," Lydia huffed, finished with the dishes. She wiped her hands with the drying towel draped over the handle of the oven, and took a seat in front of Gin, who grinned at her and reached over to brush a strand of hair away from her face. In order to cover up the way she felt about it—because she loved Gin so much her pride always seemed to suffer—she tried to continue her tough act as she snapped her head towards us and commanded, "I'm _waiting_!"

My hands shot up into a surrendering pose, palms up. "We're eating, we're eating!"

I didn't realize just how much I had missed this until I was here, surrounded by them and laughing with them.

There was an emotion pressing against my chest making it hard to breathe, and I felt something stuck in my throat, but it wasn't the food I was eating. Warmth spread throughout my entire being so strongly that I wanted to dunk myself into a bath full of ice cubes to cool myself down. Feathers kept tickling the back of my eyes, and I pressed my lips together to stop myself from crying.

I was so infinitely happy.

* * *

><p>Touching the petals of the daintily blushing phlox, I smiled. I remembered planting these flowers the last time I had been here with my entire family. Trance hadn't participated, but he had been watching from the sidelines—that had been good enough for me.<p>

It was cold outside, especially this late at night. It _was_ snowing pretty heavily, and the snow twinkled like falling stars whenever the moon's rays hit them in the right places. It was silent except for my breathing as I remained crouched in front of the phloxes. I pulled the lapels of my thick overcoat closer together.

When I heard the snow crunching from behind me, indicating the approach of someone, I immediately whirled around. Although it hadn't been that long since I last slept, the week that I had gone sleepless had dulled my senses a bit, so I didn't know who it was exactly. I had snapped my head around so fast that I lost balance, barely catching myself with my hand to stop from landing on my butt.

Blinking, I stared at the silver-haired hunter standing a few feet away from me, dressed in a trench coat, a sweater, and sweats. He didn't have an expression of someone who had woken up from slumber recently, so he hadn't been asleep.

"You scared me," I told him with a small laugh, the sound coming out of my mouth in a swirl of curling white vapour. "Do you like to take random walks in the middle of the night too, or is something bothering you?"

Rather than answering my question, he simply said, "You should get some sleep."

"I'm fine," I replied, steadying myself again. I straightened out of my crouch, rubbing my ungloved hands together in an attempt to defrost them. I breathed on them for a moment before realizing I was being an idiot and that it wouldn't work, stuffing them into the pockets of my coat instead.

"You couldn't sense it was me," he pointed out, his lips pulled downwards a bit. "You could easily have gotten killed."

A tiny laugh escaped me, and I smiled at him. I couldn't help but wonder if he was worried about me, but I shoved the thought of my mind before it finished branching off into a million other possibilities. "That's true, but... I don't like sleeping." I paused briefly before asking curiously, "You're not in bed, either. Really, is something wrong? Are you uncomfortable with something? Did Lydia or Trance or someone say something to you?"

He assessed me with his solemn lavender eyes for a moment before he shook his head slowly, looking off to the side. "It's nothing. Your family is very..." he struggled for a word, and I almost thought he'd say something horrible about them, but then he breathed out, "_warm_."

It took me a moment to respond, but when I did, I was beaming at him. "I'm glad you think so. They really like you, you know. All of them. Gin, Lydia, Satoshi, Arashi—from what I can tell, Trance seems to like you, too. Lydia and Trance might not act like it, but they're the types to try and put on a tough act in order to hide how they really feel."

Zero remained silent for a while before commenting, "Why did you bring me here?"

My eyebrows pulled together immediately. Confused, worried, and anxious, I asked him, "Do you not like it here?" When I thought about it, I wanted to slap myself. Because what if this was bringing back memories of his old home, of his family that had passed away? What if by being with my family and I, it was hurting him instead of helping him recover? What if he was in pain and I was the one that caused it?

My eyes widened when I realized I had never asked him how he felt, that I hadn't taken his feelings into consideration.

"I'm so sorry!" I blurted out before he could speak. When he stared at me with furrowed eyebrows, I stared back apprehensively. "I didn't mean to make you feel so uncomfortable. I didn't mean to—to bring back memories that hurt you, and I didn't even think about how it might hurt you to be here. I... I was just—" I stopped, swallowed, and remained silent because I didn't know what to say.

A long moment passed. He continued to stare at me, but I couldn't hold his gaze for very long. I dropped eye contact with him, my eyes darting around everywhere except for him. I was almost afraid of hearing his answer. I was scared that I had done something that made him rebuild all of his walls again, because I didn't want that.

"What are you talking about?" he eventually asked. When my eyes snapped up to meet his, he was looking at me with an expression that looked faintly incredulous.

The faint, nearly nonexistent flash of hurt in his eyes surely had to be a figment of my imagination. "Uncomfortable, hurt, pained—I don't feel any of that. I'm..." he paused, then settled for, "thankful. That your family is welcoming me. But they're _your_ family, Tashiro. Not mine. I don't have a right to be here."

Painted with disbelief, I stared at him with wide eyes and parted lips for a moment. He didn't think he had a _right _to be here? He wasn't hurt or uncomfortable or pained by being in the presence of my family and I, but _thankful_? I didn't know what I was feeling in that moment, because it felt like relief and happiness and incredulity and exasperation all mixed into one.

Somehow, I ended up laughing. "Zero," I started with a smile, "I _know_ that they're my family. But just because they're my blood-related siblings, that doesn't mean that you can't be here, too. I didn't just force you into their lives without knowing how they felt. You're here because we all _want_ you here. We don't want you to be thankful to us for welcoming you—we just want you to be happy, to feel like you're one of us. Because we want you to be. We might not be related by blood, but that doesn't mean we don't consider you as someone part of the family."

He seemed so conflicted as he reminded me, "They just met me _today_."

"No." I shook my head and my smile sweetened a bit with a spot of sheepishness embroidering it. "They met you on the numerous raids and assignments they've done with you. Not only that, but... I tell them everything, Zero. They've heard so many stories of you. I'm sorry if that creeps you out—I promise that I don't tell them anything personal about you, but just how kind you are, and how you've always helped me. And this might sound weird, but the thing is... Through those stories, they couldn't help but like you." I paused for a moment, and I couldn't help but feel warmth tingle in my cheeks as I admitted, "You're important to me. And because you're someone I care about, it's natural that my family is interested—their desire to look out for me turned into genuine affection for you too, over the course of the time they'd been watching you."

Another long string of heartbeats. At first, I couldn't look at him. I hoped that the dark would conceal the red that had flooded my cheeks, but I wasn't sure if it did, since the moon was so bright tonight. What I told him probably sounded so creepy, and I wanted to slap myself for telling him so bluntly without thinking of ways to phrase it better.

But as the silence dragged on, I couldn't help but dart a look up at him. And he was staring at me with an expression I couldn't place a finger on, because it wasn't a scowl or a smile, nor was it a neutral countenance. If I had to put a name on it though, I'd say that he had something similar to surprise and gratitude mingled faintly together along his handsome features.

"I see," he eventually murmured. Zero tilted his head up a bit toward the moon, and the rays fell over him like a spotlight. Large tuffs of snow had gathered on top of his head, but he made no move to shake it all off. He had his hands in the pockets of his coat, and he looked like he was lost in his own thoughts.

After a moment of quiet thinking, I broke it. "We should get back inside—it's getting colder and it's late. You should really get some rest, Zero."

He blinked for a moment, then agreed with an inaudible puff of a sigh. "Yeah."

Our footsteps would've been silent if it hadn't been for the snow under our shoes, and we walked back to the house with distance separating us. If I reached out, I could probably clutch onto his arm. He was here with us physically, even though he might still be far away in another world inside his heart—his heart full of the Kuran Princess.

And yet, for some reason, I felt like maybe that world wasn't all too far anymore.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

DONE.

THE FIRST OFFICIAL CHAPTER OF THE WINTER ARC, WOOOOOOOOOOO! The excitement is SO real right now. LOL. I have midterms and whatnot approaching next week [ I have two major projects due on Monday, what am I even doing right now; I couldn't resist updating as soon as possible ], but I'll try my best to see if I can crunch something out. I work best under pressure, and ughh.

I ALREADY LOVE THIS ARC SO I HOPE YOU WILL. I want to be able to share my love and excitement as soon as I can! Although this first chapter was a bit boring and not too exciting, just wait for the upcoming ones! There will be much more... squealing. And fun. and ughh. AND IVYXZERO BECAUSE HOW CAN THERE NOT BEEEE.  
>Look forward to it (;<p>

I also apologize for any and all grammar mistakes, spelling errors, and OOCness that may have happened! I MIGHT BE GETTING RUSTY, I'M SORRY. HNNG.

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**xxFangirlingduck, thecoldforest, Juliedoo, Tokine8696, ALittleTrickster, Ficchii, Ketsueko, rachel101448, SunnyDorangejuice, R. Firefly, Captaintsukiko34, Becka3490, AtikahFiction, Maiannaise, basak. esener, Jade Starlight, Hanako H, Mia Vinci, nah, Sakura, luvJesusInHeavn, 534667lc, umiyasumi, SirensSingg, sasame103, emsaduem, Jae-Joon, This Will Be The Day, Scarlette Winter, and Dyodoro**

To **xxFangirlingduck**;

LOOOOOOL. I love the way you review, because it reminds me of how my friends and I talk to each other. On the other hand, sorry I'm so late! –HIDES- I DIDN'T MEAN FOR IT TO BE THIS WAY! But I'm trying my best to write! AHAH… HA?  
>I LOVE YOU GUYS TOO. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT SOB.<br>I'm actually kind of scared why you would think that LOLOLOL. WHO KNOWS THOUGH? Pleasedon'ttryandgivemeideaswhat.  
>I hope you liked the chapter and aren't too pissed with my late as hell update! LOL. Thank you for your time to review, and your support!<p>

To **Tokine8696**;  
>YES I AM ALIVE! TA-DAAA! HELLO! How are you, my lovely? (x<br>I'm glad to know that my previous update a long, long time ago has made you happy! HAHA. I'm hoping that receiving this update will also make your day, although I'm not sure if you even remember what's happening anymore after my absence. –slapped so hard-  
>I am dying to share with you guys the Winter Break arc, and I can't believe it's taken me so long to write it, but IT'S FINALLY HERE.<br>Thank you so much for your support through this, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Also, THANK YOU SO MUCH! HAHAHHA. HAS IT BEEN THAT LONG ALREADY? –DIES A BIT ON THE INSIDE-  
>P.S. You are so sweet, I honestly cannot. Asdfghjkl.<p>

To** Ficchii**;

LOOOOOL. I got to "refined restaurant" and I was already laughing to myself like an idiot. I reread your review a couple of times, and it just makes me giggle every damn time. I love it. HAHAHA.  
>I hope this time you haven't done anything TOO crazy… although if you HAD, you know I'm always up to hear your stories. ;D<br>DAT PRAISE. PLEASE STOP. You're going to make me either blush or roll around on the floor feeling accomplished. I also don't want to feel like I'm amazing because that just makes me feel like I'm being arrogant. HNNG. BUT THANK YOU! Honestly, you flatter me so much. I'm so touched you think of my writing so highly ;A;  
>The never-ending paragraphs thing worry me. LOL. Because while I know a lot of people like it slow, TOO slow can be a bit… you know. UGH, THE WRITING INSECURITIES!<br>Ohmygod. Fictional character crush. On Trance. –SHOT-  
>LOLLOLOL. Your night persona. It is amazing. And YOU SO NAUGHTY. THE INNOCENCE IN THE SCENEEEE. HNNNG. Well, at least you're being imaginative. YAY.<br>Thank you so much for having such lovely and magnificent reviews every time, and for being a continuous supporter! I appreciate you so much, and I hope you enjoyed the VERY INNOCENT fluff in this chapter! ;D

To **SunnyDorangejuice**;

YOU KILLED ME WITH, "BE STILL, MY HEART." LOOOOOOOL. I JUST STARTED LAUGHING. Am I crazy because I think that was hella funny? I JUST IMAGINED THE SCENE AND I COULDN'T HELP IT. HNNG.  
>Sorry, love! LOL. I will try my best not to create future temptations for you in the future, but no guarantees! YOU SHOULD ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION IN CLASS! EDUCATIONNNN! Althoughreallypleasedon'tforgettoreadthechapters. LOL.<br>LOL YES. ALL THE POSSIBILITIES IN THOSE TWO WEEKS. I can't freakin' wait to write them because UGH. ALL THAT I HAVE PLANNED FOR Y'ALLLL. Gurl, you don't even know.  
>YES. YESSS. Ohmygod, he really IS like a twenty-two-year-old trapped into a fourteen year old body with attitude problems! THAT'S WHAT I IMAGINED HIM TO BE. YES, YES, YOU ARE AMAZING. LOL. –DIES A BIT- PERFECTIONNN. Ohmygod. I can't talk about Trance and Ivy without getting emotional. LOL. PLEASE DON'T' DO THIS TO ME.<br>Lydia and Gin DO balance each other out! I created them with the thought that they would, and they just somehow moulded themselves so perfectly into what I wanted. I just. I don't even know. Sometimes I'M amazed at how they're so fit for each other. HAHA.  
>I FINALLY UPDATED, SO I HOPE YOU LIKED IT! Thank you so much for waiting and for always supporting me! GRACE ME WITH YOUR LOVELY PRESENCE AGAIN, YEAH? (x<p>

To **534667lc**;

Hello, Elizabeth!  
>Aww, thank you! HAHAHA. The training camp arc was a fun one to write, but I don't think it will be as fun as the upcoming arcs, so I hope you look forward to it!<br>THANK YOU FOR SEEING ME AS AN INSPIRATION! I think that's one of the highest praises someone can get for… well, anything. It's such an amazing feeling to know you can evoke something lovely in other people, and asdfghjkl. I am so happy. Thank you. I'm incredibly touched.  
>The first fanfic is always a bit hard! I remember when I started Shitsuren so long ago, it was a bit difficult for sure, but please hold on! Don't give up! There is so much potential, and at your age, the amount of imagination and creativity can be so… limitless. Experience is gained, and if you keep on keepin' on, you'll be able to improve! I honestly hope you the best with your writing, and I hope you continue doing it if that's what you love!<br>Thank you for all your kind words and for the good luck! I'll need it. HAHA. I hope you hear from you again!

To **emsaduem**;

HAHA, yes, it was on purpose! And thank you! I DO sort of want to be confusing when writing this story, as it's all in Ivy's perspective, and who knows how her mind truly works? LOL. I'm also very glad you're enjoying the story! Hopefully, you haven't given up on it, and will read this and aren't totally angry at my long disappearance. –slapped-  
>AND THANK GOODNESS. The worry is always so real. I always have this fear of making a Mary-Sue character when writing <em>anything<em> in general, so to have someone confirm to me that they don't think I've created one… The relief is overwhelming.  
>Thank you for the time it took you to read everything and also to leave a review! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter ( if you're still reading HNNG ) and I'd love to hear from you!<p>

To **This Will Be The Day**;  
>LOOOOL. DON'T GET ME STARTED ON HER DAMN WINGS. I honestly just CANNOTTTTT. –SHOT-<br>But honestly, yeah. That was something that really bothered me about VK and Yuuki in general. There aren't THAT many fight scenes in general within the series, but… I don't know. I feel like she never had to really get her hands dirty? I don't like the whole, "SHE'S A PUREBLOOD AND IS SO POWERFUL BUT DON'T WORRY, YOU WON'T EVER SEE HER POWERS" stuff. I just… no. Just no.  
>Ohmylord, I haven't thought about pairing Kaito up in this story. I thought about making a separate fanfic for him, but I don't know if that will happen, considering I've got my hands full already. But maybe! I will try my best to see what I can do. No guarantees though!<br>PLEASE DON'T DO THIS TO ME. I CAN'T TALK ABOUT YUUKI CIVLLY. LOL. I don't want to bash her character, and I really don't want to spread hate. I have really strong feelings about her, and asdffghjklr. HNNG.  
>Thank you for taking the time to read and review! It means a lot, and I FINALLY UPDATED! HAHAHA. So I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll try my best to update a bit more quickly!<p>

END OF THE WALL OF TEXTS.

Sorry guys, I'm keeping it short because I seriously need to get my ass in bed before I start to pass out or before I start typing things that make absolutely no sense. LOL.

I'LL LEAVE YOU GUYS WITH THE QUESTION OF THE CHAPTER!

**QUESTION: What's your fantasy as to what will happen for the winter break weeks?**

GO WILD Y'ALL. MAKE ME LAUGH, MAKE ME CRY, MAKE ME... I DON'T KNOW.

LOTS OF LOVE, and I hope to see you guys again very soon!

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	27. Whispers Under Words

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters within the series. All rights belong solely to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N:**

I wrote like crazy even though I didn't have a lot of time to, because I wanted to make up for the lack of updates recently with a new chapter that you didn't need to wait 458230523 months for!

So somehow I managed to crank it all out, edit, and all that jazz before October ended! That is, my friends, quite an accomplishment if I _do_ say so myself.

... Although my marks and school work has suffered... A lot... BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? I did something I enjoyed and it was WORTH.

( Please don't let me make my negligence in any aspect of my life a constant thing. Please. )

STAY IN SCHOOL AND STUDY HARD KIDS! DO WHAT YOU LOVE! My underlying messages.

I honestly don't even know what I'm saying anymore. SOB. I'M CLEARLY LOSING IT, BUT I HOPE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN DOING WELL!

To those who aren't sick, stay healthy! To those who _are_ sick, get well soon! To those who are suffering in school like I am, IT'S OK, WE'LL SURVIVE!

And when y'all have the time to, I hope you guys enjoy the latest chapter! (:

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><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN;**

_"Whispers Under Words"_

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><p><strong>WINTER BREAK—DAY TWO <strong>

"Ivy, Ivy, come inside!" Arashi exclaimed excitedly from the interior of the small igloo we had managed to create. When I crouched and lowered my head, I could see his small feet splayed out in front of him.

"I can't," I told him with a laugh. "I'm too big. There's no room inside for me—it's your own secret little hideout." There hadn't been enough snow to create an enormous igloo that would fit any of us adults inside, so we all just pitched in to help make one that would at least fit Arashi comfortably. It took a lot of work, but we pulled it off somehow. Admittedly, it was a bit shabby, but it held up decently.

I could hear the pout in his voice. "Aww... It's so _cool _in here! Can we please live in one of these? Will Lydia and Sato let us move into one?"

"Sorry, Arashi," Satoshi laughed as he crouched beside me. "I don't think we can find an igloo that's big enough for all of us to live in."

"Are you _sure_?" he pressed, sticking his head out from the tunnel. The wool tuque that he was wearing was almost too big on him, and I reached to pull it up a bit so that it stopped looking like it'd fall over his face.

"Unfortunately, yes," Satoshi replied. He pinched Arashi's nose lightly before smiling. "But how about Lydia and I search for one, just in case?"

"Yes, _please_!" Arashi agreed happily. My younger brother grabbed onto Satoshi's hand with one of his tiny ones and beamed up at us, face flushed from the cold. We had spent hours out here, and while I was freezing, Arashi seemed absolutely fine. "Sato, can _you_ come inside?"

Satoshi raised his eyebrows at the younger Tashiro, then laughed. "I'm even bigger than Ivy! If I tried getting inside, your igloo would break."

His eyes widened, and his hold on Satoshi's hand tightened. "Sato, you're _that_ strong?" Amazement and awe tainted his voice. He kept looking between Satoshi and I, like he was seeing us in a new light.

"Oh yes," Satoshi nodded, eyes affectionate despite the serious look he put on his face. "I'm super strong."

"Is Ivy that strong too? And what about Zero? And Trance? And what about Gin and Lydia? Sato, are they super, super strong too?"

"Yes, _but_!" Satoshi stopped Arashi's new string of questions and words, grinning smugly. "I'm the strongest."

Arashi's mouth parted, and then he was crawling out of the igloo. He hugged Satoshi tightly and let himself get picked up and whirled around. His laughter rang in the air, making me smile brightly at him. He was so adorable, I didn't understand how it was possible.

From beside me, Lydia huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "That asshole. He's feeding our younger brother despicable lies, Ivy. There's no way Satoshi's the strongest. _I_ am. Everyone knows that. I should break all of Satoshi's baking utensils for offending me."

I laughed when I saw the look on her face, because it didn't match up with her words at all. She was looking at Satoshi playing with Arashi like they were the most precious things in the world to her. "I hope you and Gin make wonderful babies just like Arashi."

The moment the words left my lips, she whirled around and shoved me so hard that I fell back onto the snow-covered ground. Not offended but surprised, I looked up at her and immediately grinned. Lydia's expression was twisted into one of indignant embarrassment. Her face was too red to have turned that way from the cold, her mouth opening and closing but no words coming out. She stared at like me she was scandalized.

I laughed hard. "Your reactions are the _best_."

"S-Shut up!" She stomped her foot, her face reddening. "Say something like that again and I _will_ tear your throat out! I can't believe you—Gin and I—we aren't even—I—_stop laughing_!"

"S-Sorry," I stammered out through my gasps for air. How was my older sister, who swore like a sailor and threatened people on a daily basis, so innocent? She had been in a relationship with him for _seven years. _I knew that they had their sleepless nights, and she knew that everyone else knew. It was fascinating how embarrassed Lydia got over things like that, though.

"Just wait until you get a boyfriend," she muttered, arms folded across her chest again. She scowled at me, but the effect was lost since her cheeks still burned. "I will make your life a living hell. And maybe his, too."

My eyebrows lifted in amusement as I got up off the ground, brushing at the snow that clung to my coat. "Boyfriend? Lydia, you know just as well as I do that my list of potential partners are practically nonexistent."

Her eyes took on a solemn shade, but her voice sparked fire. "Just because you're a vampire now doesn't change who you are, Ivy. You're going to find someone who won't give a shit about what you are."

"I can't win in any situation, Lydia." I kept my voice light as I pointed out, "I'm a vampire hunter, so vampires generally stay away. I'm a vampire, so hunters stay away. I'm _both_, so any human would be scared to death if they ever found out. Finding someone who'll love me despite what I am is quite hard."

She scoffed. "Don't give me that bullshit. Al—"

I gave her a very pointed look. "We both know very clearly that Al's already in love with someone."

Shaking her head lightly, she ran a hand through her flaming red hair, which was so bright against the pure white snow. She was quiet for a moment, staring at the space in front of her, before she looked at me again. "To be honest, Ivy, I think you've already found someone."

My eyebrows shot to my hairline, and I stared at her in confusion, curiosity, and incredulity. "You do?"

"Yup," she replied, popping her "p." She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly when I opened my mouth, interrupting, "You must have lost too many brain cells if you think I'm just going to _tell_ you."

I mimicked her action, but I let out a wry sigh afterwards. "Thanks for making me die of curiosity."

"You're just an idiot," came her response. She gave me a look and asked, "You seriously can't think of anyone? Someone that you think you might be able to spend the rest of your life with?"

It was ridiculous, but an image of a certain silver-haired hunter flashed through my mind. The thought of Zero made my heart flip, but that was because I was so stunned and horrified. Because there was absolutely no way that I would be able to spend a life with Zero—he was head over heels in love with someone else, and I wasn't able to compete with her.

... _What_, my mind whispered in a terrified whisper, _did I just think? _

Because—because when had I ever thought that I needed to _compete_ with Yuuki?

"You thought of someone, didn't you?" Lydia's knowing voice slapped me in the face, bringing me out of my dwelling thoughts. Her eyes met mine, and she said fiercely, "Don't you even _dare_ think about trying to deny it. You thought of him because you _want_ to spend your life with him, whether or not you think it's possible."

Words died in my throat, and my mouth felt too dry to be comfortable. "I..."

"Just think about it," Lydia cut me off. Her eyes spoke volumes before she turned around and faced the others. Her voice rang across the enormous backyard as she hollered, "I'm freezing my ass off, here! Are we done playing in this snow so I can go inside and defrost, or will I have to ditch you all and lock everyone outside?"

"No, no, no! Lydia, can we play for a while longer?" Arashi exclaimed from where he was. Zero, Trance, and Satoshi were with him. Gin was leaning against a tree, his eyes on us. I wondered if he heard anything from Lydia and my conversation, but I didn't dwell on it.

Zero said something that I couldn't hear, but Arashi looked at him, then nodded vigorously. He began running towards us, pulling at Zero and Trance as he did so. The two had no choice but to follow after him, Satoshi trailing behind with a tender smile on his face.

Gin sidled up to us. For whatever reason, he placed a hand on my head and ruffled my hair.

I didn't know why, but it was such a reassuring gesture that I ended up hugging him.

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><p>"It's almost Christmas," Satoshi commented during dinner. Everyone was seated at the table—even Trance, though he sat as far away from me as possible. He had been ignoring me all day yesterday and today. I tried not to let it get to me too much, but I was failing. "We need to get a Christmas tree soon."<p>

"Arashi wants to come!" The youngest male declared, smiling hopefully.

"Of course," Satoshi agreed. "We need your expertise picking out the tree."

"_Yes!_" Arashi pumped his small fist into the air, and he had gotten up onto his knees. The action unbalanced him, so he ended up slamming his free hand into the mashed potatoes on his plate in order to steady himself. He pulled his hand out—now covered in the food—blinked at it, then looked at us. His face reddened, and he smiled sheepishly. "Oops."

Lydia almost wailed while the majority of us burst into laughter. "The _food_!"

"Arashi, go wash your hands," I told him with a laugh. I stood up from my seat and picked up his plate, bringing my fork with me as I made my way over to the trash can. Thankfully, he only had a tiny bit left anyway, and scooped it out. As I did so, I inquired, "You guys already bought all the Christmas presents, didn't you?"

"Mhm," Gin answered. His eyes gleamed as they met mine. "I got you something perfect this year, Ivy."

"Why do I feel like it's going to be something that I will cry in horror upon seeing?" I joked, grinning at him as I sat back down. Arashi scrambled back into the chair after having finished washing his hands. "I still haven't gotten around to shopping for presents yet."

Lydia raised her eyebrows at me. "You better have a damn good idea of what you're getting us, unless you plan to turn into a savage while shopping. Last minute shoppers are insane."

"Mm." I had a lot of people to shop for, actually. I'd need to get presents for my siblings, for EX5, Kaito and Yagari and Kaien, Kenta, Zero. I needed to get something for the Kurans, and for the two apathetic models, and for Ichijou, and even Aidou. I almost winced at the thought of all the shopping I needed to do. "I... _might_ need more than a few hours and a baseball bat."

"No way, _you_ made _friends_?" Lydia's gasp was too exaggerated for me to take seriously.

"How you wound me so," I retorted sarcastically, but I ended up smiling anyway. "Yeah. Sort of. When do you guys plan to get the tree?" I should've started planning my gifts beforehand, but I had honestly forgotten about how many people I needed to buy gifts for. It just never struck me that there would be so many of them.

Satoshi offered, "How about a few days from now? It's best to do your shopping now than later, when things are sold out. The tree can wait. I'm sure none of us can tell the difference between good trees and bad trees, anyway."

Gin laughed. "True, true."

I nodded my head slowly. "I think I'll go tomorrow. Is that okay, or are we doing something tomorrow?"

"Just go get the presents, okay?" Lydia stabbed at the steak on her plate. "We're planning to go up to the mountains to snowboard and ski, but that's not until after Christmas. We can go skating anytime, too."

"All right, then. I'll be going in the morning, and I probably won't be back until the afternoon. I'll eat out for lunch, so don't worry about me," I decided. I already had vague ideas of what to get everyone. I was so familiar with them that I knew all their likes and dislikes, what they preferred, what they wanted but had never gotten. Hopefully, it wouldn't be _too_ difficult.

"I'm coming." Everyone immediately turned and looked at Zero. He tensed slightly under everyone's eyes but eventually relaxed. He looked up from his plate of food to blink at everyone, his expression not showing his thoughts.

"No, no!" I waved my hands in front of my face immediately, already knowing where this was going. "Zero, you don't need to get us anything. Seriously, it's fine."

"Ivy's right." Satoshi smiled at him with raised eyebrows. "I'd say that your presence at the household is enough of a gift. You don't need to hassle yourself."

Shaking his head, Zero disagreed, "It's not a hassle."

Lydia was grinning as she claimed, "Zero, you are officially _awesome. _If he wants to buy presents, why don't we just let him do whatever the hell he wants? It's not like we can chain him up inside like a prisoner."

"You just want more gifts," Gin muttered underneath his breath, but loud enough for everyone to hear him. His smile informed us it was intentional. There was a sudden thump, and the twenty-eight year old hunter winced, his smile slipping. He cussed softly, glowering at Lydia who acted as if nothing happened.

"But there's so many of us," I reminded her. Although I already knew my siblings themselves would be going into town at one point to get a present for the lavender-eyed hunter, it was different because there was only _one_ of him. We all made our own money, so it wasn't as if it was that big of a deal. But Zero had to pay for all of our presents _himself_, and there were six of us here.

There was almost amusement in Zero's voice as he remarked, "I have money, Tashiro."

"_Ivy_." But surprisingly, it wasn't me who corrected him. It was Arashi, who blinked his eyes innocently. He pointed a finger at me while looking at Zero, his eyebrows furrowed. "This is _Ivy_. Zero, you know, right? Do you not feeling good? Does your head hurt?"

"Yes," Zero said after a moment, his voice betraying nothing. "I know. I'm feeling fine."

"It's okay, Arashi," I patted his head and smiled at him when he looked up at me, confused. I wanted to believe that Zero would call me "Ivy" when he was ready to, but until then, I'd just keep correcting him without the expectation of it happening.

Gin hummed for a moment before voicing aloud, "I don't see why we should stop him if he wants to. I mean, he _is_ independent now, and Lydia's right. We can't just make him stay here if he's already set on it. Besides," Gin's lips pulled up into a wide grin, "I'm sure he makes enough money so that it won't be a huge blow." He turned to look at Zero and commented, "We don't need anything expensive, just so you know."

Zero nodded in understanding, but skepticism lingered around us.

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><p>Later that evening, I wanted to take a walk outside. It was cold and all, but I wanted to breathe it all in. A part of me loved the feeling of the icy oxygen sliding down into my lungs, but that was because I was a winter person in general.<p>

I had just opened up the front door and prepared to head down for a walk around the garden when I abruptly stopped. Trance sat on the first step of the descent down the porch stairs, his elbows resting on his knees and his fingers interlaced in front of his face. He lifted his head to look over his shoulder to see who it was, tensing immediately when he realized that it was me.

"_What_?" His voice was colder than the night air, and it was clear that he was still angry about what had happened yesterday.

Refusing to be intimidated by him, even though I _was_, I bit down on my lower lip for a moment before answering honestly, "I was going to take a walk around the garden."

He didn't say anything for a moment, and I didn't move. I was frozen in the spot, waiting for words to leave his mouth because then we would be _talking_, and I wanted to have long, heart-to-heart conversations with my fourteen-year-old brother because I loved him so incredibly much, I didn't even know how I was able to go on so long without exchanging words with him.

But he clearly didn't feel the same way.

He glowered at me, his visible emerald eye glinting sharply. "Are you going, or will you stay here and make things worse?" His lips thinned immediately after he said his words, his eye tightening.

I tried not to let my heart ache too much. I attempted to smile, but it was strained and it wobbled at the corners. "Sorry," I murmured, knowing how hard it was for him to be within my presence. I began walking down the steps, passing him with a large amount of distance between us.

The moment I had reached the garden, I looked back over my shoulder, because I felt like if he was still there, it meant that there was still a chance that maybe he'd forgive me, that maybe he didn't hate me as much as I thought he did.

He was no longer sitting there.

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><p><strong>WINTER BREAK—DAY THREE<strong>

People kept staring at us as we walked up and down the streets, window shopping. I wasn't surprised, though. I mean, Zero was one of the most attractive people I had ever seen in my entire life, and I had seen quite a lot of people. Even for vampire standards, his good looks were above the rest. And part of his charm was the aura he gave off—calm, confident but not arrogant, strong but also gentle somehow.

Or maybe that was just how I saw him.

Nonetheless, women of all ages gaped at him and would blush, whispering to one another. I heard their words so clearly, and knew that he could, too. When I glanced up at him, his lips were tugged downwards at the corners.

A small laugh escaped me. "Rather than looking like they insulted you, I think you should smile since it's so flattering."

His frown slipped a bit deeper. "What are you talking about?"

I blinked at him, slightly bewildered now. "The girls," I said slowly. "The girls that are whispering about how you look good. It shouldn't bother you that much."

As if just aware of what I was talking about, the silver-haired hunter's eyes darted around him, taking notice of all the girls that stared. When his eyes swept over them, they would blush a deeper shade of red, giggling and shooting him smiles. Once again, his frown deepened.

"Don't tell me you didn't notice," I said incredulously. How could he _not_ notice? He practically had girls fainting. Was he really _that_ oblivious?

"It's not important," came his answer. It made me want to grab him by the lapels of his jacket and shake him, because it _was_ significant.

"If you didn't notice, then why are you frowning?" I settled for questioning, my tone adorned with puzzlement. Was he not feeling well, or was he too cold? He was dressed in a dark grey shirt with a stylish white jacket that had a high collar over it, followed by his black trench coat. I believed it was the first time I had ever seen him in jeans, and I was sure that even fans of _the _Shiki Senri would've fallen in love with him the moment they laid their eyes on him.

Instead of replying, his eyes shifted from mine to glance around him again. I followed his eyes, but all I saw were girls who had stopped to stare, and some guys, too. They had looks of envy on their faces, but I wasn't surprised. If I were a guy, I'd be jealous of Zero as well.

When he looked at me again, I stared up at him, head tilted in confusion. He sighed softly. "Forget it."

"You can always explain it to—" My sentence was cut off suddenly when the door to one of the shops swung open, and someone came rushing out. They crashed into me, swearing as they did so. I instantly tried to steady us as my hands shot out to grip onto his waist to stop him from mowing me down, but it was futile.

I felt Zero's hand rest on the small of my back to keep me from falling, his other hand clamping gently down on my arm. "Honestly, Tashiro," he muttered under his breath.

"Watch where the hell you're—" the man looked up from his dirty coat and stopped his sentence suddenly. He stared at us like we were aliens, and I was just about to ask him if he had gotten hurt, when suddenly a smile stretched across his face. "Sorry. That was my fault."

"It's okay," I told him with a small laugh. I expected Zero to let me go, but he didn't. My eyes flickered towards him in confusion, but he wasn't looking at me. I turned back to look at the man when he spoke.

"Do you want to grab some coffee?" he asked kindly. "It'll be on me, since I was the one who crashed into you."

I blinked at him for a moment. Strangers these days were incredibly nice. A smile graced my face as I said, "Thank you for the offer, but I'm actually busy right now."

"Oh." His dark brown eyes flickered up to Zero for a moment, narrowed, and then rested on me again in a more gentle way. I merely looked in between the two, befuddled. "How about—"

Zero's hand on the small of my back disappeared, and the other hand went from my arm down to my wrist. Without any warning, he began dragging me away silently. He ignored the man's shouts from behind us, and I stared at his broad back in bafflement. His untied trench coat sprawled out behind him, his hand that wasn't pulling me along stuffed into a pocket.

"What's wrong, Zero?" I inquired, worried that something had gone wrong. When I glanced around, people were whispering and the girls were still blushing and the men looked dejected. None of them looked worried or concerned, though. I didn't understand.

He stopped suddenly and then turned to face me, a scowl on his features. I was so surprised by the abrupt halt that I ended up bumping into his chest, only to take a step back and regain my equilibrium. I murmured an apology before looking up at him again.

"Are you always like that?" he asked me.

Puzzled, I questioned, "Like what?"

He stared hard at me, like he was trying to decipher whether I was lying or not. Eventually, he shook his head slowly. Exasperation seemed to tinge his features as he muttered, "You're an oblivious idiot."

I wanted to ask him what I was so oblivious about, because I felt like I understood everything pretty well. I read people fairly well, too. Or so I'd like to think. But I had a feeling that if I asked him to explain, he'd just ignore me. So instead, I smiled at him and said, "Thank you for catching me back there."

A heartbeat, then a sigh. "We're here for presents, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are," I agreed wholeheartedly. Although I had to admit that I was beyond pleased that I was doing the shopping with _him_, rather than anyone else or alone. Catching sight of a store that sold designer clothes, I pointed at it brightly and said, "That's definitely Cheryl's store. Do you mind?" When he shook his head, I beamed and began heading that direction, pulling him along with me.

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><p>We were walking toward the parfait store that we had gone to last time with Arashi for lunch—they also had lunch there, surprisingly—after shopping for two hours. I managed to get Ichijou a tea ceremony set, since I had heard from Shiki one time that Ichijou was a master at brewing tea. I had also picked up some articles of clothing for Cheryl, as well as new snowboards for Al and Nao. I bought Shiki and Rima both Pocky boxes, lots of candy, as well as a perfume that I felt suited the female model. It took me forever to find the right scent. For the maroon-haired vampire, I settled with purchasing him two VIP tickets to his favourite artist's concert in a month. We had discussed Lydia and Gin's present over the phone before, and Satoshi had already gotten it. When I asked Zero if he wanted to pitch in, just to make it easier for him, he agreed after some persuasion.<p>

I had a feeling he knew what I had been trying to do.

As for the silver-haired hunter, I had already known what I was getting him long ago. I had to pre-order it, since it would be custom-made. I had dropped by the store before meeting up with him at Cross Academy the very first day, but never had a chance to pick it up.

Zero managed to find plenty of gifts as well. I never knew what he got, though. We would split up in the store, or he'd be in the one next to the one I entered, and I never caught a glimpse of his presents. It wasn't as if I was worried about his choices, but I burned with curiosity.

I carried a lot of bags—thankfully, I was told that I could pick up the snowboards on the way home—but it wasn't heavy. And like the gentleman, Zero had managed to coerce me into giving him some of mine despite the fight I put up.

We were almost at the store when, abruptly, he grabbed my wrist again and hastened his pace. He opened the parfait store's door a bit too forcefully, causing the people in the store to look up at us the moment we came in with displeased expressions. They changed almost immediately upon seeing us.

"Zero, what—"

"Welcome! I've been wondering when you'd show up again." The girl that served us last time, with her shoulder-length blond hair and grey eyes, immediately flashed us a dazzling smile. Her eyes were bright with recognition, but it was really only for Zero. "A table for... two, I assume?" Her tone was a bit strained.

Zero nodded, and then we were brought to a table. The usual exchange occurred, but this time, she seemed to narrow her eyes at me. I could almost see her face turning green with envy, or the monster perched on her shoulder. I had to admit that I felt bad for her, because the silver-haired hunter didn't show even a diminutive amount of interest. And she _was_ really pretty.

When she left, I looked at Zero and repeated what I was going to ask earlier. "What was wrong?"

He didn't look up from the menu he assessed. "The man ahead was carrying a tank with a pet snake in it."

Immediately, I paled. I felt like someone had just stabbed me fifty times in the body but I was being forced to move. The sensation of being punched in the gut and in the ribcage enough times to break my ribs invaded me, and it got harder to breathe. I had to remind myself not to think about it, not to think about it, not to think about it.

And as I forced my mind to wander, what he said hit me in the face and I felt my heart thumping harder and harder in my chest.

I stared at Zero with my eyes wide and my mouth opened in surprise. "You remembered."

"What do you mean?" he asked, glancing up at me with a small frown.

"I... never mentioned to you that I'm scared of snakes." My voice sounded strange, even to my own ears. It seemed almost choked. Choked in a good way. "The only time I told you was before, back when I—" I stopped speaking.

His eyes widened slightly. Lips parted like he wanted to speak, but then he shut it again when nothing came out. I saw him set his jaw, his eyebrows knotting together once more.

Laughter escaped me softly, and I felt like my heart was pumping sunshine through my system, getting rid of the darkness from earlier. My smile was wide and delighted as I clasped my hands together in front of me. I teased cheerfully, "Zero, if you keep furrowing your eyebrows so much, they're going to stay like that permanently."

"I—" he severed his sentence, grimaced, and then shook his head slightly. "It's annoying. These random flashes of memories."

"Do you get them often?"

"More frequently than before," he answered. He let out a sigh, covering half of his face with a large, pale hand and long fingers. "You stayed with us for a while."

"I think it was for two and a half weeks," I pondered aloud. Despite being young, I still remembered everything pretty clearly. It was because it had been the first time I'd been with any hunters without my family with me, so I had been both excited and scared at the same time. Not to mention the fact that I had never met anyone with lavender eyes before, or _silver_ hair. "Everyone was so nice."

"Your parents were..." he struggled for a moment, "forced to go on a raid."

"Bingo!" I exclaimed, a bit too loudly and excitedly. The people around us turned and looked at me, and I felt myself smiling sheepishly. Lowering my voice, my teeth flashed at him. "Lydia was only fourteen at the time, and she's nowhere _near_ as mature as Trance is. She had enough difficulty trying to handle Satoshi and Trance, so they ended up leaving me in your family's care until they got back. It was so much fun, I didn't want to leave."

Apparently, Penny had no qualms with interrupting our conversation, because she appeared and set down our orders—mine with a bit more force than necessary, Zero's with a dainty gesture. She smiled at us—_Zero_—and then asked, "Is there anything else I can get you two?"

"No thank you," I answered with a smile.

"We're fine," Zero answered, flicking her a glance.

She swiveled around, but then she froze. After a second or two of standing there, she turned around and faced us again. "Excuse my rudeness, but I was wondering if I could ask you two something."

I blinked at her. "What is it?"

Her question threw me completely off guard. She nodded at Zero, then looked at me with an intense, piercing gaze. "Do I stand even the slightest bit of a chance?"

My eyes met hers, the meaning of her question hanging in between the two of us. I felt something prick at my heart when I thought about the handsome hunter and about who he was in love with. I thought back to Yuuki, who was beautiful, strong, kind, and someone who meant so much to him.

_Why does it hurt so much? _

I shut my eyes for a moment. My smile was sad when I looked at her again. "No," I murmured. "You don't." And from the way her eyes glinted, I knew that she understood that the reason she didn't have a chance wasn't because of _me_, but because of someone else.

Penny nodded her head. "Thanks." And then she turned around and walked away without giving us a backward glance.

When I looked back at Zero, his expression was blank. I didn't know what to make of it, so instead, I looked down at the pancakes I had ordered and began spreading butter on them, then drenching them in syrup. I had just swallowed my first bite and started sipping on my coffee when he spoke.

"What are you so afraid of," he started quietly, "that you destroy your own health to keep out of your mind?"

That was so unexpected that I ended up choking. I set the cup down, swiping a napkin off the table, and coughed into it. I stared at him, eyes widened, questions racing around my mind. When I finally finished my little fit, I asked with disbelief etched into my voice, "Where did _that_ come from?"

He nodded a bit at the large cup of coffee I had ordered. His expression was solemn as he looked at me, but his features weren't twisted into a scowl of any sort. Instead, the vampire merely stared at me with a look that said he wanted to know, that he would listen to me talk if I wanted to. And somehow, even though he didn't say it, I knew that he was telling me it was okay if I didn't want to say anything, too.

I inhaled deeply to prepare myself. Then exhaled. "I get nightmares. I don't even know if you can call them nightmares, because really, they're just memories of what happened in the past. And I can't—no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get over them. I'm terrified of reliving those memories. I try so hard not to remember, but every time I drift off to sleep, I'm stuck in there again, I'm doing everything all over again, and I just _can't_—" I broke off my own sentence.

I didn't realize I was shaking until my fork gently clattered against the plate with consistent _pings_.

"Tashiro." His voice made me look up at him, made me feel more grounded than I did a second ago. "The past is the past."

"The past is haunting." I barked out a small, bitter laugh. I shook my head fiercely and dragged a hand down my face. "The past is absolutely petrifying."

Lavender met forest green and sunshine yellow, and then he murmured, "Yeah. I know."

And it broke my heart to know he meant it.

* * *

><p>Someone entered the kitchen.<p>

Since I was a vampire—and I had been sitting at the island without turning on the lights for at least a half hour—my eyes were used to the darkness. I made out the form that was too tall to be Lydia, but too small to be Zero, Gin, or Satoshi. That only left one person, and I could feel his familiar presence making my heart ache.

When he flipped on the lights and his eyes landed on me, his expression cleared of all drowsiness. He muttered a curse under his breath and he turned around, about to leave the kitchen, when I somehow gathered enough courage to call out to him.

"Trance?" It sounded so hesitant, so uncertain. I hated it, because I could remember so clearly those days when we were almost glued at the hips. He stopped at the doorway, but he didn't turn to look at me. "I was just about to go," I said quietly. I resisted the urge to ask him why he couldn't sleep.

He didn't move for a second, then he whirled around again and stiffly entered the kitchen. The fourteen-year-old hunter yanked open the fridge without saying a word as I slipped off of the barstool I had been sitting on. For a moment, I traced his back with my eyes. His shoulders had gotten broader than I originally thought, and he seemed to have more muscle, too. Even though I had been with him for two weeks of training camp, I felt like I hadn't ever had the chance to really _see_ him.

"I thought you were going." His tone of voice was tense.

"I—" What I wanted to say faltered in my mouth, and my heart squeezed in my chest. Swallowing down my insecurities, I managed to ask, "Is everything okay?"

Trance froze. The sound of our quiet breathing and the ticking of the clock were the only sounds in the room for a long, long while. And then he slammed the fridge door shut and spun around to face me. His eyes were blazing with emotion, but his voice was deathly calm as he answered, "No. Nothing is okay."

Not allowing me time to think of an answer or work up enough bravery to ask him, he snatched an apple off the basket on the island and left, his footsteps whispering against the floor.

I couldn't do anything but stare blankly at the spot he had just been.

* * *

><p><strong>WINTER BREAK—DAY FOUR <strong>

"You've gotten better," Satoshi praised, smiling at me and ruffling my hair. "It's really good."

"Thank you." I grinned at him, taking a bite out of the three-layered chocolate fudge cake with cookie crumbs. "But I'm still nowhere near as good as you are."

My older brother let out a deep chuckle, his eyes twinkling brightly, but softly. Everything about him was gentle. "You'll get there eventually."

"By 'eventually' you must mean 'in a million years' because there's no way I can beat you in a baking contest anytime soon," I laughed. I ate a forkful of the cake, content by it. I would never expect to beat Satoshi in this field, since he excelled at it. He had been doing it as his hobby for years, and he had grown so fond of it. He loved baking because he claimed that it made him happy to see the finished product of something he had created out of scratch.

Teasingly, the dark-haired brunette agreed, "Maybe." He swallowed down another forkful before glancing at the separate cake I had created for Zero. My entire family was aware of what I did for Zero, and they didn't object to it. After all, I was helping the silver-haired hunter by doing so. None of them were disgusted or repulsed by the idea, just… saddened.

"You're looking at it like you want to try it," I joked lightly.

Satoshi laughed, a cheeky smile on his face. "I must admit that I _am_ rather curious about how it tastes."

"I don't think that it appeals to hunters as much as it does to vampires," I grinned.

"I concur." His expression mirrored mine for a moment before it softened. He raised a curious eyebrow and asked, "Is he doing all right?"

"Zero?" I specified. When Satoshi nodded his head in confirmation, I thought about it for a moment. Zero didn't seem to be sinking to a Level E as fast as he used to, that was for sure. In fact, he seemed to have stabilized as a Level D for the moment. He didn't seem to struggle being close to humans anymore, and I never saw him looking like he was in pain from his devouring thirst. He also seemed to like it here, which delighted me.

A smile as I answered. "Yes, I think he's doing fine. I was worried at first that being here would bring back painful memories of his own family, how he lost them and how he misses them, but..." I shook my head. "I think rather than making it more painful for him, it might be making it easier for him to remember all the good times they had. I think it allows him to focus on the happy memories more than the bad ones."

"I've been meaning to ask you this for a while now," Satoshi started, looking at me with an open expression. He paused for a second and then asked, "Ivy, what exactly is he to you?"

The question stunned me. I felt my eyebrows being pushed together, and I blinked at my older brother. "What do you mean?"

"I'm just wondering," he soothed. "It's because you always seem so thrilled whenever he's around."

"Because I _am_," I replied before I realized what I was saying. When I did, my face scrunched up a tad.I endeavoured to capture words and fit them together in a way that could express how I felt about the silver-haired hunter, but as the minutes ticked by, I came up with nothing. How could I explain it properly in something like _words_? "I... I don't know."

"Don't know what he means to you?" Satoshi clarified, taking in another forkful of cake. There was no impatience lining his tone, or agitation. Patience was one of his many amazing virtues.

_Did _I know how what Zero meant to me? I was starting to confuse myself. I felt like I did, but at the same time, I couldn't put my finger on it. The feeling of the word lingering at the recesses of my mind made me feel so frustrated, because it was _right there_, but I just couldn't grasp it. I'd reach out and think I caught the word, but when I opened my hand and tried to let it speak, it was voiceless.

"He's precious to me," I murmured, but I knew that wasn't what Satoshi was asking. He already knew that. "I don't really know what he is to me, I just know that he's someone really important."

"He's an amazing person," Satoshi remarked quietly. "It's only been four days since he's started living with us, but it feels like he's been here all along."

"Definitely," I agreed with a laugh. It hadn't long at all, but for some reason, everyone had gotten so used to Zero's presence that it was odd to think that he hadn't actually spent years with us before.

"You should ask him to teach you how to cook," Satoshi suggested. He was grinning as he said, "Maybe he can cure your hazardous behaviour when it comes to using a pan and stove. The food he makes is _really_ good, not that Lydia would ever admit it."

Immediately, my lips stretched into a look that mirrored his. "If _you_ can't teach me how to cook and neither can Gin, I think I'd just be putting Zero through torture by asking him to accept me as a disciple."

"You were young when we tried teaching you. Maybe you're better at remembering the steps and distinguishing between the spices now."

"There are practically a million varieties of spices!" I exclaimed. "And the thing is, half of them look _exactly_ the same. I struggle to recognize the difference between salt and sugar—I think that cooking is a lost cause for me."

He gave a thoughtful hum. "That's true. I remember all those times you mixed sugar with salt." He winced slightly at the thought of the terribly ruined products. "Please tell me you don't do that anymore."

"I don't." I paused, then admitted, "Most of the time."

Satoshi stared at me for along moment, as if making sure I wasn't joking, before he burst into laughter. I watched him with amusement waltzing on his face, a smile prancing onto mine.

At the back of my mind, the question that Satoshi asked me stuck like glue.

* * *

><p>"Shit," Lydia swore. Then she swore again, using a more vulgar word. "I swear that you rigged the deck, Satoshi. There's no way that you can win this many times in a row based on pure luck."<p>

"You're just horrible at poker," Satoshi commented, chuckling. He pushed all the chips over onto his side, stacking them neatly as he played with another two in his spare hand. "I don't understand why you insisted on playing."

When Gin came into the living room carrying three different coffee mugs, Zero coming in with one in each hand, the twenty-eight year old commented with a sigh, "I can't believe you guys are gambling. It's the holiday season. I never thought you'd agree to it, Satoshi."

"Yes, well." Satoshi raised an eyebrow at the oldest sibling and remarked, "I can't back down from a challenge." He thanked Gin as the male set down his cup of hot chocolate.

"One day," Lydia started in a threatening tone, "I'm going to find out all your cheap tricks and I will _destroy _you."

"You're being a sore loser, Lydia," I teased with a laugh, looking up from my novel to take the panda-designed coffee mug from Zero. I smiled at him brightly and said, "Thank you so much."

He glanced at me as an acknowledgement, then sat down onto the couch. He made sure to put distance between us, but I wanted to roll my eyes at him, because physical contact with people honestly didn't bother me at all. It was probably much, much different for him, though. He was so reserved.

"Let's see _you_ beat Satoshi at this stupid damned game."

"Unlike _someone_, I don't take any enjoyment in gambling," I retorted, giving her a pointed look.

"I don't _enjoy_ gambling," she corrected me. "What I _enjoy_ is seeing Satoshi kiss my ass when I beat him at it."

Gin sat down on the floor beside Lydia, leaned his back against the foot of the couch, and stretched an arm across her shoulders. He laughed as he reminded her, "And you've never tasted that enjoyment even once."

"If you want a bed to sleep in tonight, shut your mouth." She didn't even flick him a glance.

"Gin, please remind me why you want to marry her." I tried to sound serious, but I ended up grinning at him.

"Don't be jealous," he teased back, laughing when Lydia elbowed him roughly in the stomach. "Sorry, sorry." He kissed her temple tenderly and then took a sip of his own hot chocolate.

Over the years, we had gotten so used to their displays of affection that it never bothered us anymore—not that it ever bothered any of us in the first place. At first, it felt a bit awkward, like we were intruding in on their private moments, but we got over it. I found their small gestures really cute. It wasn't as if they got really into it or anything, either. They would hold hands, or give each other pecks, or small kisses on the forehead, cheeks, nose. They never went too far. Their subtly was something I admired and loved about them, because it made their love seem so pure and innocent.

As Satoshi began to deal the cards again, something seemed to click in his mind, because he made a soft noise of surprise and then informed everyone, "Kaito and Yagari are coming over tomorrow. I think that Kaien also plans to come." Looking over his shoulder at me to smile, he added, "And EX5."

"Those little shits." Affection layered her irritated tone. "Coming over without any prior notice?" Then she looked at her cards and more profanity spilt out of her lips like she was puking her guts out.

From beside me, Zero sighed softly. When he caught my silently questioning look, his lips pulled downwards as he explained, "Kaito and Yagari-sensei will ask questions. It'll be annoying."

Speaking of Kaito and Yagari asking questions, so would everyone in EX5. Cheryl would grill me alive to get her answers, and Al would immediately get overprotective. Junko's mind would probably conjure up some kind of embarrassingly impossible scenario while Nao would give me a look that asked me what the hell was going on. I was looking forward to seeing them, but I wasn't sure if I looked forward to being interrogated.

"Just punch them when they start to piss you off," Lydia advised very seriously. "It's best to aim for the face, but if you don't want to hurt them _too_ badly, Kaito's weak spot is his sternum and Yagari's is his right shoulder. Trust me, I speak from experience. Hit them hard enough in those spots and they'll stop bothering you for _weeks_." She said it so gleefully, so blithely, it was almost scary.

"Please don't let Lydia's violent tendencies rub off on you," Satoshi said.

"It should be fine." I smiled at him reassuringly. "After all, it's not that big of a deal."

… Or so I hoped.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

AND THAT IS THE END!

The Winter Arc will definitely pick up along the way, so please stick with me and be patient for all the IvyxZero moments that are sure to come! There will be some Kaito and Yagari goodness in the next chapter, as well as some EX5 too, so please look forward to that! It's going to be an exciting chapter, that twenty-eighth one. Huehuehue.

From here on out, it just goes up, y'all.

( Or at least that's what I hope you guys will consider the upcoming chapters and progression of the story. OTL. )

As always, I have to apologize for any OOCness from Zero within this chapter, any spelling mistakes, as well as any grammatical errors! Forgive my rusty writing skills, please!

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**Sachiko Keidi Honoki, Deces, xxFangirlingduck, kittykatxox, Tokine8696, rachel101448, Ketsueko, Onesmartcookie78, thecoldforest, Captaintsukiko34, Ficchii, LuvElvaParra17, nah, and bangbangbangitybang**

Thank you so much for taking the time to share with me your thoughts! I adore you guys, and I really appreciate it!

Thank you also to those who have alerted or favourited! (:

OK, RESPONSE TIME! PREPARE YOSELVES.

To **Sachiko Keidi Honoki**;

NO, THANK YOU! HAHA. Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings and fantasies for the series, as well as sharing your thoughts with me! I honestly appreciate it so much, and am so grateful for everyone who does so. So rather than thanking me for updating, thank YOU for reading! (x  
>And oh my lord, midterms destroyed me. HAHAHA. BUT! I hope that you did well on yours. I have some more coming up ( can you believe it? ALREADY? ) so I'm hoping to redeem myself. At least just a little bit. SOB.<br>And thank you for sharing with me your thoughts on pacing! I know that I'm pretty slow for all my stories when it comes to romantic development and whatnot, but I just... like it write that way, and I'm really happy to know that you prefer that!  
>LOOOOOOOOOOOL. UH. UH. -SWEATS- I WILL TRY MY BEST FOR THOSE DEMANDS, BUT NO GUARANTEES!<br>Yes, I DO like to hear from everyone that's willing to share! It makes me very happy when people take time to do so. I'm very thankful that you broke out of your silent-reader shell and expressed your thoughts for me. THANK YOU, YOU AMAZING HUMAN BEING.  
>I hope to hear from you again, and I also hope you enjoyed the latest chapter!<p>

To **xxFangirlingduck**;

... THAT NOT-SO-SUBTLE HINT.  
>-DIES-<p>

To **Tokine8696**;

YES, I AM ALIVEEE! Thank you for being so happy about it. HAHAHA. I'm glad to know I made you smile. (x  
>Thank you for liking this story enough to keep rereading it when you get the chance to! That's honestly so flattering to know. HNNG.<br>UGH, ARASHI. GURL, I FEEL YOUUUUUUUUUUU. Like, I'm the one who designed and created him, but I still can't believe that he's a character because asdfghjkl. I want him as a little brother. Please. Just please. Although I have to admit that I'm not really sure if six-year-olds in general talk like he does... Welp. HAHA.  
>SMORES. For some reason, I never thought of smores, but I'm definitely going to take that into consideration now! THANK YOU! ;D<br>I hope I managed to surprise you with a relatively reasonable update-time! And I hope that it was up to your standard and enjoyable!  
>Thank you for reading and always taking the time to leave me a little somethin' somethin'. I appreciate it so much, you lovely human. (x<p>

To **Ketsueko**;

LOL. OHMYLORD. I love hearing stories about how people react when I update. You and another one of my absofckinglutely amazing readers, Ficchii- FICCHII IF YOU SEE THIS, HEEEEEEEEEEY- reacted to my update in hilarious ways. Although, I gotta admit, I hope y'all don't have near-death experiences from the shock of e-mails.  
>I hope that your reputation has been redeemed. Or, at the very least, not totally tarnished. LOL. Please don't fall off the bed again! Let's hope your relatives aren't around this time, either. HAHAHA. I don't want to be held responsible for the stink-eye your relatives might give you. Or, y'know, the asylum they think you should be in. -SLAPPED-<br>AHAHAAHAHA. TRANCE. I hope you continue to fangirl over him, because he needs some lovin'. (;  
>Thanks for taking the time out of your life to read my work and to leave me your thoughts! I honestly love it, and I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter as well! (:<p>

To **Onesmartcookie78**;

SORRY, SORRY! I promise it wasn't intentional.  
>... Or was it? HUM.<br>Well, regardless, the super long hiatus is over! I hope... LOL.  
>Aww, thank you so much! That praise is probably too much for me. The ego inflation is so real when people say that. LOL. I'm incredibly touched that you hold my story in such a bright light though, so thank you very much! I'm glad you love my OCs so much, since there are SO many of them. HAHA. LOTS OF LOVE TO SPREAD AROUNDDDD.<br>Glad to know you're shipping IvyxZero (; It's definitely a slow progress, but I hope you stick with me throughout the length of the story and watch them progress as characters! As for Arashi... who knows? You'll have to wait until the end to find out, eh? ;D ;D -winkwinknudgenudge-  
>THANK YOU for reading my work so often and loving it! I adore you for it~ And thank you for taking the time to share with me your thoughts because I love to hear from everyone that's willing to talk with me! I hope to hear from you again, and I also really hope you enjoyed this chapter as welllllll. (x<p>

To** thecoldforest**;

HEHE. -sheepish laughter-  
>HELLO. Yes. Hi. I'm alive. And I updated. SURPRISEEEEEEEE! -throws confetti around-<br>LOOOOOOOOOOL. WHOA THERE. I mean, I know that you probably love me, but no heart attacks please. (; On the more serious side, NO OF COURSE THERE IS NO ABANDONMENT! I adore you guys, and I adore this story and the characters, and I will NOT be heartless and leave you guys hanging after being so faithful to me! I'm glad to know that you're so happy and excited about my return though HAHAHA. IT MAKES ME HAPPY TO KNOW I MADE YOU HAPPY.  
>LOLOL. Sometimes, gurl, you just gotta let the feels take over man. DON'T DENY THE FEELS. What wouldn't we all do for that tortured idiot? -sighs-<br>I love that about Zero too, actually. That soft spot for kids just hits me right in the heart. I can't even. ASDFGHJKL. It makes me feel like he's less nonchalant about everything that isn't Yuuki. -SLAPPED- GOTTA WORK WITH IT.  
>Ohmylord. LOL. SPARE THE ZERO TRAGEDIES PLEASE! He's already miserable enough as it is, he doesn't need people killing him off. The kiss...<p>

...  
>If I had to be honest, probably not. BUT THERE IS A LOT OF FLUFF I PROMISE YOU, OK? SOB. THE KISS WILL HAPPEN IN DUE TIME. I JUST DON'T KNOW WHEN. HNNG. PLEASE HANG ON WITH ME, SWEETHEART, PLEASE!<br>I'm glad I got you motivated to start writing again! It's always such a joy to hear about helping others be inspired or motivated (x  
>THANK YOUUUU, as always, for being such a lovely and faithful reader! I honestly enjoy hearing from you so much, and it brings a smile to my face to see your name pop up in reviews! Thanks for always taking the time to read what I write and to share with me your thoughts in such fun ways! I hope this chapter didn't disappoint you, and see you again? ;D<p>

To **Captaintsukiko34**;

-BEAR HUGS BACK- YES, I AM! THANK YOUUUU. Hugs are the best. (:  
>Aww, I think you need another hug for that calculus test. -HUGS AGAIN- Those honestly kill. I hope you're doing OK!<br>AWW, THANK YOU! It honestly warms my heart SO much to know that people who usually don't review have taken the time to do so for me! It's such an amazing feeling, and I love it, and thank youuuuu. HNNG. I'm overcome with this happiness to know that you're a big fan and have made an account to share your thoughts! It doesn't even have to be comments on this story specifically ( although I would most definitely love to hear from you more often ), but to just know you're willing to share your thoughts is lovelyyyy.  
>Thank you so much for making me smile, and for reading this story and commenting! It means a lot to know you take time out of your life to do so. Hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter as much as the rest, and I hope to hear from you again!<br>P.S. WELCOME TO THE ENORMOUS WALLS OF TEXT THAT I CREATE!

To **Ficchii**;

My poor bby. ): -HUGS- It's OK! To know that you even wrote me a long review delights me! IT'S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS. Or at least that's what everyone tells me. Pfft.  
>PLEASE DON'T DIE ON MEEEE. LOL. As much as I love hearing your stories about how you react to my updates, I honestly worry about your well being. I feel like maybe my updates are detrimental to your health. SOB. PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, OK? YOU ARE TOO LOVELY TO CHOKE ON JUICE.<br>LOL. Trance's bitchfest. I never even thought of it that way, but I love the way you put it.  
>IT'S OK, MESSY REVIEWS ARE UNDERSTANDABLE! STUDY, BECAUSE SCHOOL IS IMPORTANT! I hope you managed to do well, and are still doing well, with your studies! Thank you for even taking time out of your precious time to read my longass chapters and type out a long review and still re-write one after the first one got destroyed! You are honestly such a darling, I can't even. ASDFGHJKL. Thanks for being so wonderful, love.<br>I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! ;D

To **bangbangbangitybang**;

HEY THERE. I keep saying your name over and over again because I think it's so fun to say. LOL. -SLAPPED-  
>A lot to say is good! A lot to say makes me happy, and there is nothing to forgive when the ramblings are excited. LOL. What am I even saying.<br>THANK YOUUUUU! ;A; I honestly think that your praise is too much for me. I AM UNWORTHY OF IT. I always keep like something about how I write Zero's character is off, and whenever I get readers telling me they think I'm doing just fine, I am so happy and touched and asdfghjkl. Thank you for giving me such an outstanding compliment. HNNG. Do you see my ego inflating? Like whoa. -SLAPPED-  
>Oh man, trust me, I know what you mean when you say you don't like her because of her choices. I'm like that a lot for series I read, whether it be manga or books, and I feel you. To be honest, I'm very surprised ( and also very grateful ) that you'd even continue reading the story despite your disagreement with how she handles her situations! I know it can get so frustrating and infuriating sometimes, so thank you for sticking by her ( and the story ) regardless! I'm also very, very pleased to know you've grown fond of her. Huehuehue. I feel like a proud parent boasting about their child.<br>THANK YOU. AGAIN! I know that I have like eight bajillion OCs and people can get mixed up or it just ends up being too messy. I'm still really concerned about it now, but it's a bit too late to turn back. LOL. I'm glad, however, that you think it's been pulled off! That relieves my insecurities about the story a bit, which makes me smile. It's always so great to hear about people loving OCs, andddd... I don't think you're alone when it comes to loving Al the best. HAHAHAHA.  
>Thank you so much for sharing your excited ramblings with me! I love to hear from readers I haven't heard from before, and I really do hope to hear from you again at some point! I'm grateful that you've taken time out of your life to read my story and also write me your thoughts, so thank you very much.<br>I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter, and the mysteries will get solved... eventually. ;D I hope you stick with me until the end!

END OF THE EVER-BLINDING WALLS OF TEXT.

Phew.

It is once again very late. I always do my editing / reader responses at night, and I really need to get my ass in bed. However, I hope you guys liked the latest chapter, and hurray for an update that didn't require months! YAAAAAAAAY!

Look forward to the next update, my lovelies!

Thank you so much to everyone who answered my question in their review! I love to hear about them, and so this time, I think I'll ask...

**QUESTION: How do you think the Tashiro family became so close with Kaito, Yagari, and Kaien?**

I'd LOVE to hear what you guys think, so please answer if you can! Make up a backstory if you want; I'd love to read it! HAHAHA.

Alright guys, I'll see y'all next time I update! ( Which I hope is soon. HAHA. )

Midterms are also coming up again, so I hope everyone the best of luck. Remember: WE WILL SURVIVE!

Also, whether you loved it, hated it, or just have thoughts to share, please drop me a review and share with me your thoughts! I would most definitely love to hear from you and love you in my walls of texts.

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	28. It Won't Rain Forever

**DISCLAIMER: No, I do NOT own Vampire Knight or any of the characters within the series. All rights belong solely to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N:**

HOLLLLLLLLLLLA, GUESS WHO'S BACK?

THANK YOU FOR THE WAIT Y'ALL. And I'm also sorry about it, too. OTL.

THIS IS THE FIRST UPDATE OF 2015, SO HURRAAAAAAAY! I'm sorry I missed both Christmas _and_ New Years; I actually had planned to update at least on ONE of those occasions, but I clearly underestimated how busy I was going to be. I'M SO SORRY.

And I know it's late, but I hope everyone had an absolutely _fantastic _holiday full of love, laughter, and happiness! I hope that everyone enjoyed their breaks and that all of you guys are doing well! Please don't tell me any of you got sick and was bedridden throughout the holidays. HNNG.

And, y'know, I'm sure ALL OF YOU GUYS CELEBRATED SAFELY, yes? ;D

I just want to take a slightly more serious moment to say: **_THANK YOU FOR STICKING WITH ME THROUGH THE YEARS. _**It honestly means so much to me to have people enjoy something I create so much that they're willing to wait what seems like forever, for my updates. It's truly so amazing, so thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you for letting me share the story of the Tashiro family, of EX5, of the other hunters, with you. I am SURE that I wouldn't have gotten this far if it hadn't been for you guys, and it's always the thought of you guys that makes me want to write. So thank you for being my inspiration, thank you for sticking with me. Thank you for being such amazing, lovely readers that I know SO many people would be envious to have. You guys rock my socks and are the bomb dot com. I hope that we will continue the journey of Zero and Ivy together in the year to come; 2015 is sure to be a great one!

OK, JUMPING INTO THE CHAPTER!

ENJOY, MY LOVES!

* * *

><p><span>Heterochromia<span>

**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT;**

_"It Won't Rain Forever"_

* * *

><p><strong>WINTER BREAK—DAY 5<br>**

"Casanova Junior, my man!" Al exclaimed with a grin as he picked Arashi up and swung him in a full circle before setting him back on his feet. "How have you been?"

"Uncle Al!" Arashi beamed brightly. "I'm super good! I've got to play with Ivy lots and lots. Zero, too!"

"_Zero_?" Al repeated, the same time Cheryl, Yagari, and Kaito did. All four of them exchanged glances between one another before their gazes shifted over to where the silver-haired hunter was leaning against the doorframe, arms folded loosely across his chest.

"You mean you're _staying _here?" Cheryl demanded, her princess-curled hair pulled up into a half-ponytail for the day. She wore a navy blue sweater dress made out of wool and black tights underneath, heels worn on her feet. I didn't understand how she wasn't freezing.

"Be nice!" I faintly chided, frowning at her. "I asked Zero to come and spend winter break with us." Before any of them could say anything, I added firmly, "It's _our_ house, and _we_ have the privilege of kicking all of you out."

From behind me, Gin corrected with a teasing grin in his voice, "Actually, it's Lydia, Satoshi, and my house. _You_ don't have a say."

I elbowed him in the stomach, aiming for the same place as Lydia had hit previously. "Sorry," was my innocent response.

He cringed, then muttered, "You're becoming more and more like your sister every day."

"Don't say it like it's an insult!" Lydia slapped him upside the head as she descended down the stairs, raising her eyebrows at everyone. She placed her hands on her hips and asked sarcastically, "If you all want to stand there and look pretty, feel free to _take up all the space._"

"Want to explain to us why my student is living with you guys for winter break, Lydia?" Yagari asked, pushing his cowboy hat off his head. It hung around the back of his neck, the delicate string holding it just between his shoulder blades. His cigarette was still lit, hanging out the corner of his mouth.

Without an ounce of hesitation, my older sister marched up to him and snatched it right out of his mouth. She tossed it onto the floor, squishing it with her slipper-clad foot. Eyes narrowed into a deadly glower, she jabbed her finger roughly into his shoulder blade—the one she mentioned last night—and said, "Smoke in my house again and I will cripple you for your entire life." Whirling towards the kitchen, she gestured haphazardly at the cigarette butt on the floor and demanded, "Clean that shit up, too."

"She's the same as always," Yagari muttered under his breath, watching her retreating back. "Scary as hell."

"Seriously," Gin chuckled as he followed her, "You should know better than that by now, Yagari. You've been here enough times to know she hates the smell of smoke."

"Yeah, yeah," the wavy-haired hunter said offhandedly. "I know where to get the broom and the dustpan."

Looking at me impatiently, Cheryl tapped her foot and spat through gritted teeth, "Nobody answered my question yet."

Kaien, smiling brightly with his kind, light toffee eyes, hung his coat up before twirling over to me. "I think it's absolutely _fantastic_ that you invited Kiriyuu-kun over to your house for break, Ivy-chan! Although I miss having my precious son with me, I'm glad to know he's doing well." As he spoke, he embraced me tightly and then turned to look at Zero, who stared back without moving.

"Why is it such a big deal?" I raised my eyebrows at the rest of them in confusion. "I've been living in the same building as him ever since attending Cross Academy. You guys know that."

"Living together at the Academy is different from living together in a _house_!" Cheryl practically hissed. Her vivid cerulean eyes were narrowed into a glower. She was probably trying to burn me alive, since I had disregarded all her words from before. It wasn't as if Cheryl _disliked_ Zero—in fact, she found him very charming—but she wanted to look out for me.

"For once," Al started as he looked at me with a quirked eyebrow, "I have to agree with Cheryl on this."

"What's wrong with Ivy and Zero living together?" Arashi's eyebrows crashed into each other due to his puzzlement. He fumbled for my hand before walking over to where Zero stood. He reached for Zero's, and after clasping the silver-haired hunter's large hand with his small one, he looked at everyone squarely. "I don't get it. Zero and Ivy are like Gin and Lydia! I like them the most!"

I choked on air that I had been inhaling when my brother finished his words. My eyes were wide with horror and embarrassment. I felt my face flushing, but for some stupid reason that I couldn't explain, my heart tumbled at his words.

When I glanced at Zero, he was staring at my younger brother with an indescribable look on his face.

Instantly, everyone exploded at the same time. Their words strung together, but despite all the overlap, I heard everything just fine.

"_What? _Ivy, what the hell is he talking about?"

"No way. You guys are _together?"  
><em>

"I'm so happy for you, Ivy-chan, Kiriyuu-san!"

"I knew you were a dumbass, but you're _that_ stupid, Zero? _Really_?"

"Oh, Arashi-kun, you are so precious! So you think my adorable children make a good pair, yes?"

They weren't allowing Zero or I time to speak to clear up the misunderstanding. I wanted to slam my face into a desk, and Arashi just looked up at everyone, still confused. I didn't even want to see what kind of expression was on the eighteen-year-old hunter's face.

"Can you all just _shut up_?" Trance's voice rang out through the area, and everyone abruptly stopped talking, looking up at the stairs that he was descending from. He stared at the group with his expression sculpted from ice. "You're all too goddamn loud. And can you _move it_? You're in my way."

"Still as cold as ever, yeah?" Al greeted my brother with an amused grin. I didn't know why, but Al was never offended by Trance's attitude. Junko was often hurt and scared by it, while Cheryl got angry half the time. Nao and Al were the only ones whose attitudes remained undeterred.

Trance passed him with a brief glance out of his peripheral vision, but said nothing.

"Trance-kun!" Kaien was also one of those people that never got bothered by the teenage Tashiro. "How are you doing? I think you've gotten taller since the last time I saw you!"

He curtly nodded his acknowledgement, greeting, "Kaien." He didn't answer any of the legendary hunter's questions, instead saying, "Come and have tea. You too, Kaito, Yagari. Satoshi's been excited to see you guys." Then he continued on his way into the kitchen, his shoulder brushing mine as he passed. I felt him tense the moment we made contact, and he jerked away noticeably.

I stared at his back, stifling a sigh of longing. He spoke to Kaien, Kaito, and Yagari the same way he used to when he was younger, when we were all close. I had to admit that I was surprised to hear him say more than four words, and without sounding like he wanted to rip their heads off, too. It was rare for me to witness those moments.

"You're coming with us," Yagari told Zero as he passed. He nodded at me, "Yo, Ivy."

"To think you kept something like this from us, you're both brats," Kaito added, slinging an oppressive arm around Zero's shoulders. He began dragging the hunter away, and as my youngest brother protested, I ended up unlocking my hand from his so he could follow after them.

Left with EX5, I couldn't hold back my sigh at their accusatory looks. Gesturing down the hallway, I said, "Kitchen. Everyone else should be in the dining hall by now."

Al pulled me to him as he walked by, looking down at me with raised eyebrows when I glanced up at him. He didn't say anything, just kept me locked at his side until we turned the corner and entered the kitchen. The door that divided the dining room and the kitchen had been slid out, allowing both groups their own privacy.

As everyone took a seat, I played my role of host, offering them food and drinks. When everything was gathered and everyone had a share of what they wanted, the interrogation began.

"So are you and Zero-kun dating or what?" Cheryl had a no-nonsense tone in her voice.

"We're not," I told her, rolling my eyes. "I already told you he's in love with someone else." _Why does it hurt? _I shoved the thought out of my mind, adding, "Arashi's young, you know that."

"He's never mistaken _us_ as an engaged couple," Al retorted. His exotic eyes looked at me expectantly, as if thinking this would stump me.

It didn't. I met his gaze and replied, "Well, Arashi's never liked you as much as he likes Zero."

"Are you for real?" Al's tone was incredulous, and he seemed to temporarily forget about the main topic as he protested, "He's only known Zero-kun for a month, _max_!"

"Arashi's got good priorities," Cheryl approved.

"Kiriyuu-san has someone he's in love with?" Junko asked, her soft, tinkling soprano voice silencing the room. Her doe-like hazel eyes were interested, but she blushed when she realized how it must've sounded. Shaking her head, she stammered, "I-I'm just—"

Chortling blithely at her adorable reaction, I nodded my head to answer her question. "I'm not going to get into specifics about it, but yeah."

"And you?" Nao's voice was sharp enough to cut through a wall of concrete. I blinked up at him, the question plain on my face. His expression was irritated as he expanded, "What do _you_ feel for _him_?"

Satoshi had asked me something similar only a day ago, and despite having all night to muse over it, I had never gotten to an answer. In fact, delving deeper into it only seemed to confuse me even more. "He's important to me. If you ask me how, why, or in what way, I won't be able to tell you, because I honestly have no clue."

They all remained silent for a moment, their eyes darting around to each other. I followed their gazes, meeting theirs when they landed on me. I didn't understand the looks they gave each other—they all, with the exception of Junko, seemed to have mild agitation and frustration on their features.

"Are we done with the 'secretive' looks now?" I inquired after a few minutes had passed, raising my eyebrows at them. They hadn't been fooling anybody and they knew it.

Cheryl let out a huff. There was a sour look on her beautiful face as she scolded, "You didn't listen to _anything_ I had talked to you about a month or two ago, did you?"

She was referring to all our talks about Zero during the rebellion, and I shot her a look. "Of course I listened to you. It's just..." I shook my head, unable to express myself properly. "I don't know why you're so worried."

"The fact that he's _in love with someone else_ is a huge hint," she replied sarcastically. I was just about to ask her why that even mattered in any aspect, but it was like she read my mind. "And clearly, the relationship with that person is ripping him to shreds. You care so much about him that it's taking its toll on you, too."

Reflecting back on the months I'd known Zero, I had to admit it didn't affect me so much before. When I had first met Zero again, I had been worried about him, yes—Ichiru had asked me to take care of his beloved older brother, had asked me to make sure Zero was safe and that he found happiness. I had never forgotten the younger Zero from the past who had been so kind, who had been a comrade. But the more time I spent with him, the more that changed. I wanted to protect _him_, the him _now_, on my own accord. It wasn't due to Ichiru's last words to me, the image I held onto all these years of him, or the fact that Ichiru may be residing inside of him.  
>I had no idea when, but I just started to get attached to the silver-haired hunter.<p>

"Yeah," I confessed in a hushed voice. "It _does_ bother me to see him so torn up. It's extremely frustrating. But I don't see how that makes him different from anyone else. There's always a characteristic about someone that makes me worry—you, Cheryl, because you get heated and riled up so easily. Nao, because you act so cold that others start fights with you out of nowhere. Al, you need to stop flirting with everyone because I remember those times jealous boyfriends tried beating you up. And I worry about Junko because you're so shy and gentle that even if someone were to take advantage of you, you'd let them." I paused, meeting Cheryl's eyes with my own. "How I care about him isn't different than how I care about you guys."

For some reason, they all looked unconvinced.

* * *

><p>"We should have known," a voice slightly rough around the edges started, "that you would invite him over."<p>

"Yes, you should've," I agreed, looking over my shoulder to see the two hunters heading over to the island. Kaito didn't take a seat, but leaned on his elbows on the counter while Yagari sat down and put his feet up. I rolled my eyes at him and warned, "If Lydia sees you doing that, she's going to kill you."

Yagari's light blue eye darted around for a moment, as if making sure my older sister wasn't in the room, before shrugging. "I'd like to see her try. She's fifteen years too early to try and pick a fight with me."

"And yet you're still scared of her," I teased with a laugh as I continued to rinse the dishes. We had just finished dinner—it had been loud, rowdy, and pretty chaotic, but it was full of laughs, smiles, and jokes—and everyone was supposed to be in the living room either playing board games or talking. Some of them might have wandered outside with Arashi, since my younger brother had been eager to play with snow again.

"She packs a good punch," he admitted defensively, his face contorting slightly as he recalled all those times he had been on the receiving side of her fists. Although Lydia wasn't a close combat type, she _had_ gone through rigorous training. Despite her rather small height, she was really strong.

Another laugh, and then I asked them merrily, "How was today?"

"We spent the majority of it with you Tashiro brats, EX5 dumbasses, and my idiot apprentice. What do _you_ think?" Yagari's words were harsh, but everyone knew he was a softie on the inside. Even now, I could hear the father-like love he had for Zero hidden underneath his words.

"So it was one of the best days of your life, I see," I nodded, pretending to be serious. "And you, Kaito? Was it as magnificent for you as it was for Yagari?"

The younger male made a sound that could've been a cross between a snort and a scoff. "_Magnificent_? Aside from being able to see Satoshi again, I had to deal with you troublesome siblings and wring information out of Zero."

"_Why_ is it such an enormous thing that Zero's here with us for winter break?" Exasperation lined my tone, because I felt like _everyone_ had some kind of problem with it, and I threw my soap-lathered hands up in the air. I didn't need to look to know that some of the bubbles landed on both hunters because they both cursed.

"It's not," came Kaito's irritated response—he muttered something under his breath about throwing soap at guests—and then said, "We just didn't expect to see him here. We didn't get any warnings from anyone."

"Even if he wasn't living here," I started as I rinsed the second last dish, "he would've been here today anyways. I'm sure that Kaien would've dragged him over if he had to. Your surprised expressions were so unnecessary."

I could practically _hear_ Yagari roll his eye as he stated, "It's not the fact that you asked him here that's a big deal. It's the fact that he _agreed_."

"Zero's not the type to just accept invitations with alacrity," Kaito elaborated, mild interest lining his tone. "Especially not invitations of hospitality for two weeks offered by someone he hasn't known for his entire life."

That was true. If someone asked me how I managed to get Zero to agree with coming and spending winter break here, I wouldn't have a clue. A part of me believed that I had actually taken advantage of his kindness in that moment, though—I had been distressed when I had asked him, had mentioned how much my family wanted to meet him. Thinking back on it, I honestly _did_ think that I had cornered him into coming without realizing it at the time.

The thought made me want to crawl into a hole and stay there for a while.

"I should apologize to him," I deliberated out loud. What I'd done was unfair.

"What do you need to apologize to him for?" Yagari questioned, sounding incredulous. "He'd probably be out hunting Level Es from early mornings until late nights every day if he didn't come. At least the brat's getting rest and not doing useless, dumb shit."

I eyed him with a raised eyebrow when I finished rinsing the last plate, drying my hands with a towel. I didn't doubt what he said. "Did being around Lydia for a few hours already revert you back to your foul language?"

"My bad," he said without an ounce of sincerity.

"Don't avoid the topic, Ivy." Kaito brought the conversation back on track, even though I had been hoping it'd digress farther. He pinned his hazel eyes on me, an expectant look resting on his features.

Sighing, I began to dry the dishes. Leaning against the sink counter so I could face them, I told them in a sheepish tone, "I might have cornered him into agreeing."

"Cornered him?" Kaito repeated, his eyebrows pulling together slightly while Yagari quirked one of his upwards. "What do you mean you _cornered_ him?"

The guilt was slowly starting to seep in through my skin and enter my blood. "I—I remembered something from the past, and I lost my composure. Zero had been with me at the time, and after calming down, I asked him if he'd come. I think that I might have made him feel obligated to agree."

The clock ticked loudly due to the silence.

Then, "Wow." Yagari let out a second's worth of a chuckle, one corner of his lips tugging upward just slightly. "The fact that you're both complete and utter _idiots_ has never been clearer to me than now."

A loud, wry sigh left Kaito's lips. "I don't know whether I overestimate you, Ivy, or underestimate you."

"What are you guys talking about?" A small frown formed on my face, and my eyebrows pulled together as I stared at the two males in front of me. The mentor and disciple didn't need to exchange looks for me to feel like they were on the exact same word of the exact same page.

"Have you talked to him about it?" Kaito inquired, a knowing note in his words.

"If you already know the answer, why would you ask me?" My nose wrinkled at him, then I sighed. "I plan to, but not today. Everyone's here and I swear that everyone's going to cause a fuss if they realize we're missing from the group. And after all this craziness, I don't want to keep him up later than he needs to be."

Yagari's voice was tainted with sarcasm as he said, "Obviously. Because two young teenagers raging with hormones disappearing together in an enormous house is _completely_ abnormal."

"We aren't two young teenagers raging with hormones," I objected. My voice turned quiet as I added, "Besides, you know just as well as I do that Zero would never lay hands on anyone in that way. Not someone he's not in love with, and yet not the person he loves, either."

"Does it concern you _that_ much?" the onyx-haired hunter asked, picking up on my tone.

Undeterred by the question, I blinked up at him and answered, "Yes." I paused. "Does it not bother you guys a lot, too? He looks so miserable all the time."

"The lion cub, huh?" Kaito pondered aloud quietly. He laced his fingers together on the marble top in front of him, glancing down at it before looking up at me again. "I feel like you try to avoid her as much as you try avoiding your grandparents."

By the "lion cub" he must be referring to Yuuki, because there was nobody else that Zero could possibly be in love with. The thought of her, the mention of her, made something stick inside my throat. My hand absentmindedly clenched the dish tighter, the other rubbing with a bit more force than necessary. Thinking of her reminded me of something that I hadn't realized yet.

My grandparents hadn't come yet. _Why hadn't they come yet? _

"I do," I forced through gritted teeth. "I avoid being around her."

"And yet you have no qualms with being around the older brother?" Yagari retorted, scowling. "I hope you know just how stupid that makes you sound."

Kaito, however, decided not to comment on the fact that I hung around Kaname more comfortably than Yuuki. Instead, he asked, "Why?"

Meeting his eyes with my own, I realized that maybe he was just concerned about me. Or maybe he just favoured Yuuki a lot. After all, the wavy-haired twenty-two year old hunter had given her a nickname, and he was usually the kind of person who loathed vampires almost as much as Zero did. Was he concerned about her? I didn't know why it mattered to him.

"It sounds like _someone_ has taken a liking to her," I teased, though it came out strained. My evasion of his question was glaringly evident. Because there was no way I could tell them, no way I could say it.

Even though I couldn't follow through with what my grandparents wanted, I still felt their eyes haunting me. I still felt the weight of their words like vows of secrecy.

"You're avoiding the question," Kaito pointed out mercilessly, like he had no idea I didn't want to answer the question.

"You avoided my comment."

"Ivy." Kaito gave me a stern look.

"Why does it matter?" I inquired quietly, stiffly. I felt something bubble up inside of my chest—something hot, something ugly. And then the words tumbled out of my mouth before I could help myself. Years and years of frustration, hurt, and fury just seemed to snap from somewhere deep inside of me. "Why are you so fond of her when she's a Pureblood, Kaito? I don't understand; do you know how strange it is for you ask _me_ why _I'm _avoiding a Pureblood when _you're_ the one who hates them so much? We've known each other for years, and the only time you've shown interest in what I'm up to with my life is when it concerns her? The only time you care about what I'm doing is _now_, when you wanted me dead a year ago?"

Regret swam inside of me instantly. Seeing the tautness that latched onto his face, seeing his narrowed eyes, his tensed posture—all of it made me want to take back every word I said. Because a part of me knew that it wasn't true, that I was being unreasonable and that it wasn't his fault. Those days we spent at Cross Academy together, those times we fought together during the rebellion, those memories we made ever since I saw him again were all so warm.

The tension was so thick inside the room that not even a bulldozer would've been able to break it to pieces.

My heart thumped harder in my chest.

"I'm sorry." It was almost inaudible inside the silent room. I swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat, and I felt something stab me lightly in the back of my eyes. I blinked. "I'm—I'm sorry, Kaito. I know that you care, I just—" My exhale shook.

Yagari didn't make a sound, but he looked between us before he closed his eyes, like he was trying to give us the illusion of privacy. I knew he wouldn't leave the room, because if things got out of hand, we needed someone there to stop it.

Kaito didn't say anything for a moment. His hands were clenched together so tightly that they were turning different shades of intermingling blue, white, and red. He stared down at them silently, and when he looked up at me again, his eyes were piercing. His voice was calm, his expression solemn and tight. "They locked you up, Ivy. You were chained down on a goddamn cot, stuck in a room with nothing in it, living in an abandoned safehouse in the middle of nowhere. You were treated like a prisoner. What did you want me to do? Visit you like I was visiting you at home?"

"So you wanted me dead?" My voice trembled just like my hands. And as much as I dreaded having this conversation, I also _wanted_ to have it. It was long, _long_ overdue. I needed to know his views on this. I needed to know his thoughts, to hear what he had to say. I wanted to try and understand why, why, _why_—even if it hurt to hear it.

"If it meant that you didn't have to suffer being treated like an experiment," Kaito closed his eyes, "then yes."

"They wouldn't have kept me in there forever, Kaito." I could hear my blood rushing through my ears. "They wouldn't have—they stopped strapping us to the cots after a few months."

"A few _months_." His eyes flashed open, and his lips twisted. Something inside of him seemed to ignite. "Ivy, how could you have expected me to act like nothing was wrong when you were like that for _months_? To see you unable to move, unable to speak, unable to do anything and know that I couldn't do a goddamn _thing_ to help you?" Kaito shook his head and ran a hand roughly through is hair. "Do you have any idea what it was like for Satoshi, Lydia, Trance, Gin, Kaien, Yagari—do you have any idea what it was like for anyone that _cared_ about you to have to see you like that? How we felt to know that there was nothing we could do to help you, how helpless and useless and frustrated and angry we all felt?"

I wanted to say something, but when I opened my mouth, nothing came out. His words hit me so hard, I was sure they could've easily toppled me over if I wasn't leaning on something.

The truth was, I _didn't_ know. I didn't know how deeply it affected them—I knew that I caused trouble between my siblings and my parents that sided with my grandparents, but I hadn't really thought of how it affected them individually. I had been so wrapped up in my own world during those months, so lost in my own thoughts. I festered in the initial bitterness and frustration of the situation, unconsciously divided things into black and white and assumed that those who suffered the most were EX5.

Was me.

"We had no idea," Kaito started, voice terse, "how long they would keep you like that. It could have been weeks, months, your _life_. Was it something I wanted to risk? Seeing you trapped up in there like a carnivorous beast for the rest of your life even though I knew you weren't? I asked myself how lonely would you be, how it would affect you mentally and emotionally. Did I want to risk the chance of seeing you driven insane? No. No, I didn't. I didn't want to take that risk, even though your siblings told me you'd be strong enough to take it, to believe in you." He inhaled sharply, shook his head again. Another hand through his hair. Closed his eyes.

Despite the fact that I had been trying to grasp words to say the entire time, I couldn't. All I could do was stare at the hunter in front of me, spilling out thoughts and emotions that were so raw, I felt like they were burning his throat. He spat the words out like they were poison. He sounded so frustrated, so angry, so conflicted.  
>I had never seen Kaito opening up to anyone like this. I didn't think he allowed many people to see him so bare.<p>

My throat seemed to close. His figure blurred in my vision.

"I'm sorry." He slowly opened his eyes, meeting mine. He spoke in a hushed voice. "I'm sorry that I didn't believe in you the way I was supposed to."

Minutes went by, and I still couldn't find a single thing to say. All this time, I had been harbouring such horrible feelings for someone that didn't even deserve it. I had been so hurt and so angry at Kaito, but he had been carrying so much turmoil inside of him too. Would he have ever told me if I hadn't forced it out of him?

_How did I not realize it?  
><em>

I felt so guilty, but I also felt so relieved, so happy that I had misunderstood. I was glad that Kaito hadn't felt the way I thought he did. And I knew it was horrible of me, because I had hurt him by spewing out words on a situation I had no idea about, but I was thankful I had said them.

Because now, I felt like I understood him so much better.

Seeing as I couldn't say anything, Yagari let out a soft sigh. When I turned my glazed eyes over at him, I could see him looking at me. "Ivy." He paused, and his gruff voice was almost gentle as he said, "You're a dumbass. Kaito and I were with you since you were a baby. We've watched you grow up. We've been tied to your family so closely that we might as well be part of it. We don't abandon the people in our family. Don't be an idiot. I'm pissed that you'd even think Kaito didn't care. And what's this shit about the Kuran princess again? I don't know where the hell that even came from."

"I..." The sentence got stuck in my throat. "Kaito, Yagari—"

"Don't say you're sorry," Yagari ordered.

"And don't you _dare_ cry," Kaito added, the scowl in his voice. I wanted to laugh because they knew me so well, but I couldn't. I could only stare at them through my hazed vision, trying to breathe, trying to speak.

Somehow, I ended up wrapping my arms around both of them and having their arms around me in a group hug that I hadn't participated in for years.

* * *

><p>"I—" Words seemed to fail me as I stared at my younger brother, who had just reached the top of the staircase and entered my line of vision, He saw me there, stiffened like he always did, and looked away with a terse grimace on his face.<p>

As if he hadn't heard me, Trance continued walking, presumably going to his room. But if he was going to his room, that meant he had to pass by me, and I knew that I had to say something to him before he disappeared. His straight strands of dark crimson hair swayed with every step, but his bangs never moved from obscuring his right topaz eye, as if it was meant to hide forever.

"Thank you," I managed to get out of my throat, my eyes observing the way he jerked slightly like I had been about to slap him. The action hurt, and I found the emotion running deeply through my veins. "Today, you managed to get everyone off of Zero and my back. I'm really grateful."

A heartbeat, two, and then he scoffed. His hands were fists at his sides, and his tone could have crumbled the sky if he had spoken any louder. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Somewhat stunned, it took me a second to ask, "What do you mean?"

He shook his head fiercely. His lips were pulled back over his teeth in anger, a fire of fury ignited in his eye. Everything about him screamed out his discontent, his frustration. "I can't believe you could even _ask_ me if things were okay yesterday when you're like this."

"… I don't understand," I admitted after a moment. My eyebrows pulled together tightly, bafflement writing a note in my voice and sticking it on my forehead. It felt like he was speaking another language entirely, because _what_ was I like? Did everything about me irritate him _that_ much? Did he truly loathe _every_ _single_ _thing_ about me?

Trance stared hard at me for a moment, nothing about him yielding. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something else, but then he slammed his lips shut and shook his head again, something that wasn't anger blossoming in his eyes. Shouldering past me, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and spat out, "Forget it."

* * *

><p><strong>WINTER BREAK—DAY SIX<br>**

A knock on the door. I wished so desperately for the person to go away, because there was no way I wanted them to see me having one of my attacks. Even though my siblings—with the exception of Arashi—had seen them more times than both my hands could count, I still didn't want them to witness it.

It was a reminder to everyone that I wasn't your normal Tashiro. That no matter how well I fit in, no matter how much I blended myself in with them and they acted like I was a normal hunter, I wasn't.

Another spasm of sharp, agonizing pain ripped at me from my lungs, my heart, and I coughed into the toilet. I had been in here for a while now, and the water had turned from crystal clear to dark crimson within a matter of seconds. I winced as I choked on the blood, my hands gripping onto the furry rug that was placed on the floor.

Some more knocking, and then Zero's slightly muffled voice. "Tashiro."

"I'm okay," I gritted out as I struggled to breathe. I should've known in was him. After all, he was the only one who possessed such a keen sense of smell, able to smell blood even if the person was a few hundred meters away.

"Open the door."

"No." I coughed, coughed, coughed. The sound of blood splattering against the red water made me feel sick, made me want to block my ears out. I flinched when another pang hit me. I had to wait for it to subside before I got out, "It's normal, Zero."

"Stop being stubborn," came his response.

I shook my head even though I knew he couldn't see it. Another flare of pain, more excruciating than the last, would have made me scream if I hadn't had to vomit out blood. My vision was dotting, going black for a second or two before I could see again. I blinked hard in an attempt to keep focused, but it seemed to be getting harder and harder.

His presence was still right outside my bathroom door.

"You can't _do_ anything, Zero," I gasped out after another round of coughing. "It's—it's—" I swallowed and I felt the thickness of the dark liquid sliding down my throat in a disgusting fashion. I wanted to tell him it was revolting, repulsive, shameful, embarrassing, mortifying, but I couldn't. All I could do was cough.

"I'm fine, Tashiro." He hit the door with a fist. "Stop worrying and just open the door. You've been in there for half an hour."

"It's almost—" cough, "—over." Another burning sensation inside of my chest, and then the humming began again. The soft vibrations got stronger in a rapid amount of time, drumming away in my chest. Then abruptly, as the reverberations reached their peak, they disappeared like thin air, taking the pain away with them.

Even though the attack had finished, I remained sitting on the floor. I tilted my head back against the cool glass shower wall, trying to regulate my loud gasps into normal breaths. Sometimes when I inhaled through my mouth, the blood got stuck and I ended up coughing again, but it wasn't because I was experiencing another attack.

It had been so long since I had one, I wasn't surprised that this one had been so long and so much more painful than my previous one. I couldn't believe that I had even lasted over two weeks without experiencing it.

Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I stood up with shaking legs and flushed the toilet. I watched as water began to dilute the dark, almost black, liquid but it didn't do much. It only lightened slightly at first, then turned bright crimson. The water disappeared.

Using the counters to steady me, I went over to the sink. I washed my hands, rinsed my mouth, washed my face. Thankfully, no blood had gotten on my clothes, so I didn't need to change.

Despite being filled with Shoto's rich blood, meant to make a vampire so much stronger, I felt weaker than I had in a long, long time.

When I exited the bathroom, nearly stumbling over my own two feet as I did so, I turned and saw Zero learning against the wall, arms folded across his broad chest. He glanced at me when I came out, and I met his gaze for a brief second before looking away.

Wordlessly, he handed me his black box of blood tablets. It wasn't as if I needed them, but I'd rather taste artificial blood than my own, so I took it. I opened it up carefully, taking out two, and placed them in my mouth as I handed the box back to him. He tilted his head back, dumping the remaining few into his mouth, and then tossed the vacant container into the small trash bin I had beside my desk.

"Are you okay?" I asked him quietly, hesitantly, as we left my room.

He didn't look back at me as he answered, "I'm not going to suck anyone dry anytime soon."

"That's not what I meant." I grabbed onto the back of his slightly loose sweater, stopping him from moving. I burned my eyes into the back of his head. "I meant—is it really painful for you? I'm not doubting that you're in control of yourself, but if it hurts, I can—"

He half-turned his body so he could look at me. Although he didn't say anything, I immediately clamped my mouth shut. The look in his eyes was one that I couldn't decipher, but I still found myself desperately trying to.

Zero looked like he was going to say something, but his eyes flickered to movement behind me, and he didn't let the words escape his mouth. Instead, he nodded slightly in acknowledgement at the person approaching.

Trance's eyes burned into me as his footsteps carried him closer and closer to where Zero and I had stopped in the middle of the hallway. Unconsciously, my hand fisted more tightly around the material of Zero's sweater, and I ducked my head low.

Even though I felt ashamed of my illness, nobody ever made me hate it more than Trance. Surely it was something that people gave him shit for. People already looked down on him and believed they could ridicule him due to his young age—he didn't need them making fun of him because of his older sister, too.

"Gin said he'd make breakfast tomorrow, so you're free from it," Trance informed Zero, each word pronounced clearly. He spoke monotonously.

"Yeah, I heard," Zero replied.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Trance nod with a rigid expression. He passed by us without another word, making sure not to come close to touching me this time. I bit down on tongue hard, because if I didn't, I was sure I'd end up blurting out something that would make him angry.

We stayed silent for a few moments even after Trance left, unmoving. It was like he was still in the room, making it still. Eventually though, we both seemed to agree that it was time we got back down to where Arashi was definitely waiting for us.

In the living room, we had created a fort made out of pillows, cushions, the couch, armchairs, loveseats, and extra blankets. He had wanted to make one, so I had agreed. Zero joined in when he entered, thinking that nobody was there, and Arashi had dragged him into being our accomplice. We had been careful to avoid building it too close to the Christmas tree, which we had gone to get earlier that day and decorated with tons of tinsel and ornaments.

The moment Arashi saw us, he waved us into the fort.

"It's time for you to sleep, Arashi," I told him as I entered. It was a really big fort, since it could fit all three of us easily. He was lying on a mass of blankets and pillows that created a sort of nest, a small lamp in front of him.

It took a while to convince my younger brother it was time to sleep, but after negotiating we'd read him any story he wanted, he reluctantly agreed. He lay in between us as Zero and I took turns reading to him, and he fell asleep rather fast. Arashi looked so peaceful as he slept, his thin strands of red-brown hair the exact same shade as mine lightly brushing against the pillow.

"Mmnugh..." he mumbled in his sleep, turning onto his side. His lips pulled up into a smile.

I laughed quietly under my breath, gently brushing the hair out of his face as Zero pulled a blanket over him. I kept my voice a bit below a whisper as I said, "And he claimed he wasn't tired ten minutes ago."

For a moment, Zero and I just stared down at Arashi for a moment. The silver-haired hunter's eyes were soft and tender. I couldn't help but think that he'd make a wonderful father.

My cheeks instantaneously flooded at the thought. _What_ was I thinking about?

In order to distract myself, I said, "Zero?"

His eyes darted upwards from my younger brother to look at me. "What?"

"I'm sorry," I apologized. Before he could ask me why, I explained, "I know that you don't hate being here, but I still feel like I forced you to come. And you might not regret it or anything, but I just... wanted to let you know that I'm sorry if I never gave you a choice."

Zero let out a tiny exhale that could be mistaken as a sigh. "You can't _force_ me to do anything, Tashiro."

"I guilted you into it," I rephrased.

"I'm not easy to guilt."

"Don't lie to yourself," I retorted, giving him a pointed look. I shook my head at him, smiling slightly. "I feel like I took advantage of your kindness that day."

"You've got it all wrong," he said after a moment. He stared at me with his eyebrows slightly knotted, his lips tugged downwards. "You don't see that I'm the one taking advantage of you."

My expression was one of disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

His eyes left mine to rest on Arashi again. "I'm a monster." He didn't let me speak, because he continued, "Yet you try to _help_ me. You invited me into your home like the possibility of me hurting your family is nonexistent. You don't seem to _understand_ that I—"

"Zero," I cut him off firmly. "We've been over this a million times. You're _not_ a monster, and I _know_ that you won't hurt my family. Please don't tell me that I don't understand you—understand what or who you are."

"I'm different from you," he reminded me in his quiet voice. "I can snap at any moment. I sink further into being a Level E every day. There's no way of knowing when I'm going to lose myself, and yet you still… _trust_ me. You're naïve."

"Zero." I waited for him to look at me, but he wouldn't. "_Zero._" Still, he kept his eyes trained on the sleeping face of my younger brother, using one arm to prop his torso up. Strands of his hair fell into his eyes, but he made no move to push them away.

Shifting so that instead of lying down propped up like he was, I made it so that I was resting on my knees. I reached over and gently, very gently, cupped his face in my hands like I was holding the petals of a flower. He tensed before I even touched him, but relaxed after a few heartbeats. I could feel his strong, prominent jawbone in the palms of my hands, could feel the tips of his threadlike silver hair tickle the backs of my fingers.

"Zero," I said again, this time softly. With my hands still clasping his face like he was glass, I gingerly urged him to look at me. When he did, I almost forgot how to breathe. My heart stopped inside my chest for a moment before running a marathon.

His eyes were so catastrophically beautiful.

Keeping my eyes trained on his, I said quietly, delicately, _firmly,_ "I'm not going to let you sink to a Level E, okay? I won't. I'm going to do everything and anything I can to keep you here as you are. As the person you _want_ to be." My eyes and voice didn't waver. "Please have some faith in me. Please believe in yourself more."

After minutes ticked by as we remained in that position, eyes locked like we were having a battle of wills, Zero caved first.

He closed his eyes.

And in that action, our silent promises rested on his eyelashes, in the palms of my hands.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

And THAT, ladies and gents, is the end of the first chapter of the new year! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING IT 'TIL THE END.

I know, I know, a lot of you guys were hoping for some EX5 and hunter craziness, but I feel like a lot of you guys already knew what it would be like and could picture it. So rather than fun and games, I tried to deepen certain relationships and whatnot AND THAT END FOR ZERO AND IVY. UGH. IT'S LIKE A HUGE STEP FORWARD AND I'M SO GLAD WE'RE FINALLY REACHING THOSE STEPS. LOL. It's like we all walked for ten million miles JUST to even approach the staircase. This is so fabulous. HNNG.

There isn't much to say, I just hope that you guys enjoyed it!

There's still half of the winter break arc left, and I'm so excited to share it with you guys! Hopefully, it isn't going to take forever to do so. I'll try my best! (:

I've got to apologize, like always, for spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and OOCness that may have occurred in this chapter! ( Honestly, it's been a while, so I am so sorry if there was OOCness in any of the three hunters; Kaito, Yagari, and Zero. )

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO;

**pierce through the heart, Guest, Ketsueko, Captaintsukiko34, Tokine8696, Jade Starlight, thecoldforest, LuzElvaParra17, rachel101448, kalmaegi, Sachiko Keidi Honoki, valxra, Seere Klein, a midsummer, Mew Millie, Onesmartcookie78, sirenmergirl, Liv, and LaughterLover98**

You guys are all fantastic, lovely people! Thank you so much for all the kind words and encouragement and laughs!

And also, thank you to all those who alerted and favourited! You guys are the bomb too! (x

WALLS OF TEXTS AND RESPONSES, LEGGOOO:

To **pierce through the heart**;  
>THE FLATTERY IS UNREAL. LOL. Thank you so much for your amazing comment; I'm honestly so touched that you'd think that. I'm sure there are so many wonderful VK stories floating about; it's just a matter of how luck you are to stumble across them, and I'm so glad you came across mine!<br>I _do_ plan to update Shitsuren, it's just that I have no idea when. The thing is, it's been so long since I started that particular fanfic that I've grown so much as a writer, and that makes it hard to remember where I was going with it, _why_ I was going that direction, all the little details and mysteries I had planned. It's a really tough process, I think, for me to go back and try to write it because I feel so lost, and that's never a good feeling. I _am_ trying really hard though, and I'm getting bits and pieces whenever I can, but despite knowing I'll finish the story, the "_when"_ part is left hanging. I'M SO SORRY, PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH ME. I AM SO APOLOGETIC ABOUT IT.  
>Thank you for loving my work, for having faith in me and being so understanding. Thank you for taking time out of your life to read my writing, and to share with me your thoughts. You are so wonderful, and I hope the wait, at least, for this chapter was worth it!<p>

To **Ketsueko**;

OHMYLORD. If you can Ficchii are ever in a room together when I update, I will be so afraid for everyone and everything in the vicinity. LOL. I would love to watch y'all, though. I think I wouldn't be able to help laughing.  
>PLEASE. I don't want to ruin your reputation as a badass, OK. If you keep running into walls, I don't think you'll be able to keep that up.<br>Trance is a total brat, yeah. There's no denying it. But no matter how badass he is when it comes to slaying vampires, he still _is_ only fourteen, and you know how adolescents get, right? HAHAHA.  
>I didn't update as quickly as I would've liked to, but I finally got something out, so I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading and sharing with me your thoughts, as per usual! I hope you have a lovely rest of your day ( and please don't run into more walls )!<p>

To **Jade Starlight**;

OH HEY, HEY YOUUUU! I'VE MISSED YOU!  
>Please don't apologize for having a life; I'm just glad to know you're alive and kickin'.<br>You can't just leave, come back, and start saying all these wonderful things to me, OK. LOL. It just doesn't work like that, Jade. My heart cannot handle that, but thank you, thank you. HNNG.  
>OH MY ASDFGHJKL. YOU CAN'T SAY. I HONESTLY CAN'T. To hear that someone thinks this should be part of the original VK series is too much. That praise is honestly so up there that I don't think I can accept it. It's just… Wow. I'm at a loss for words that you even THOUGHT that, let alone say it. You are honestly so kind, and it's for that kindness that I need to say thank you!<br>I should also thank you for telling me you're alive, and for continuing to come back to read my work! You fabulous human bean, you. I hope you enjoyed this one as much as the last, and I also hope that life is treating you well!  
>Please don't forget to take care of yourself!<p>

To **LuvElvaParra17**;

HEY THERE!  
>I'm so delighted that you enjoyed the last chapter; I hope you love this one just as much ( if not, and hopefully, more ).<br>HAHAHA, the whole relationship between Trance and Ivy _has _had hints dropped throughout previous chapters, but I don't think I've ever explicitly said what's going on with them and why. So if you're missing it, don't worry! You've just got to continue tuning in and eventually everything will be revealed! I like to drop subtle hints whenever possible, nothing obvious unless it has to be. It's kinda how I work. OR AT LEAST HOW I THINK I DO.  
>… What am I even saying about myself? I have no idea. OTL.<br>THANK YOU for your praises, and for reading my work! You even shared with me how you felt and what you were thinking, and I love that, so thank you for giving me joy! I hope to hear from you again sometime ( if not every time winkwink ) and I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter!

To **kalmaegi**;

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'm so glad you gave this story a chance and ended up liking it! OK, so you left me various lovely reviews, and it's going to be a huge wall of text for you to read, but here we go! I'm going to go from chapter 27 down, since that's how I read your reviews! Sorry if it's disjointed and messy sometimes OTL  
><span>27<span>; HAHAHA, I'm not surprised that it did! She's absolutely amazing, both as an artist ( in every sense of it ) and as a human being! I'm so very honoured she likes my work enough to spend time creating something for me, and for us as well.  
>( SO HEY KURO IF YOU MANAGE TO CATCH THIS, HIII. I LOVE YO FACE, YOU MAGNIFICENT, FABULOUS HUMAN. )<br>I still can't talk about the VK ending, or VK in later chapters, in general. I KNOW IT'S BEEN SO LONG, BUT I JUST CAN'T. There are too many feelings that just bubble up and overwhelm me.  
>Thank you for all your wonderful praises about my OCs! I'm SO happy that people like them; there are a ton of them, and I know I just stuck them on everyone, so I'm beyond relieved it worked out!<br>I'M glad you gave this story the benefit of the doubt; thank you so much for doing so! I hope to hear from you again sometime.  
><span>26<span>; YES, Trance is such a teenager. Even as the person who created him, sometimes I wonder why he's being such a shit, but then I remember he's fourteen and an adolescent and I'm like… "OK, fine." LOL.  
><span>18<span>; HAHA. Ivy sees Kaname almost in the same way that you do. She doesn't really mind him, because what has he really done to her? Nothing. She doesn't like him almost by default because of Zero's suffering in relation to Kaname and Yuuki, but she doesn't dislike him because he isn't a bad person, y'know?  
>HE DOES LOOK MISERABLE, AND SHE CAN'T HELP BUT SAY IT. I mean, as someone that suffered a lot and was surrounded by those who suffered with her, Ivy's so attuned to sadness and pain that she sees it so easily. And she always needs to try and "save" that person, because she herself needed that.<br>19; A part of me would love Shiki and Ivy together, and it isn't as if I can't see it. But considering the fact that I have another story that's ShikixOC and that OC is SO completely different from Ivy, I feel like I'm almost betraying her if I say Shiki and Ivy could be meant. But even IF I didn't have Riku, I think that the BEST relationship for Shiki and Ivy would be that of friends. Soul-friends, soul-siblings-from-another-parent. LOL. Either of those.  
>Kenta is another story. (;<br>21; THAT IS THE FIRST TIME EVER THAT SOMEONE SAID THEY SHIT NAO AND IVY. I CAN'T. That sounds SO odd to hear, because I've never intended that AT ALL. LOL. Like the THOUGHT of even perhaps making anything other than familial bonds between that hadn't even crossed my mind. LOOOOL. OKOK, I WILL TRY MY BEST FOR MORE NAO AND IVY MOMENTS IN THE FUTURE! No guarantees though, and no promises for how long it'll take for one to pop up!  
>Thank you for not throwing this story from the recesses of your mind, and for telling me about it! I hope you continue to stick around, and that you enjoyed this chapter!<p>

To **Sachiko Keidi Honoki**;

YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL. STOP IT. LOL.  
>That's OK! I'm just happy to hear from you at all, and to know you're aliveee! I hope that classes have been treating you well now! And if not, CHEER UP! I know you can bulldoze your way through it; you're a tough cookie. (x<br>OOOOH, I'm surprised I haven't gotten that question before now. OR, well, if I have, it's been so long that I can't even remember it. If I had to be honest, I really don't have any idea right now. I don't want the story to drag on and on and on forever, but from where we are right now, it's… kind of far away from what I imagined would be the end. My chapters in general are, I'm told, pretty damn long so… I feel like MAYBE by chapter 50 the epilogue will be up? I don't know if that's too many chapters or too few, but god knows I won't hit 70 chapters.  
>… I hope.<br>Because that's a lot of waiting for y'all. –SLAPPED SO HARD-  
>Oh my lord, stop. LOL. Honestly, when people say such nice things, I feel so happily embarrassed, because I'm sure there are some pretty damn amazing VK stories out there involving an OC as well, and it's just a matter of luck whether or not you stumble upon them. So to have people say these things, I'm always reminded of how grateful I am that you guys stumbled upon my story.<br>Thank you SOOO much, you incredibly lovely human bean! I love to hear from you, as I'm sure you know, and I hope you enjoyed this latest update!  
>( DAT FLUFF AT THE END DOE? )<p>

To **valxra**;

OH, well then, WELCOME BACK! I'm so glad that you've caught up, and thank you for returning even though it's been so long! I'm very happy to know you didn't just forget about this and leave LOL.  
>Ugh, I can'tttt. All three of those characters hurt me in a different way and I'm just like asdffgjkl. I'm so glad you love them though; it was kind of meant to be that way. HUEHUEHUE.<br>I DIED READING THE TRANCE THING. Ohmylord, that's so great. LOLOLOL. I'm SO sure that a ton of other readers feel the exact same way; he IS a little shit and a complete brat. Even I sometimes look at him and I'm like, "Trance, please. Why are you like this? ASDFGAWEBNE?"  
>Arashi is a beautiful child. –SOBS PROUDLY-<br>And oh my god, LOL. I love hearing from everyone who they enjoy seeing Ivy with, because the spectrum is all over the place. It's so great HAHAHAHA.  
>Thank you so much for dropping again to pick up where you left off! Now that you're back, I hope to hear from you more often ( though honestly, don't feel pressured to ) and I hope you stick with me 'til the end! I hope you enjoyed this update!<br>( Please don't castrate Trance after this chapter. )

To **a midsummer**;

LOOOOOOL. Your thoughts for chapter 21, which I read first, totally killed me. I'm dying from laughter, and I'm not even sure why. I think you got me the moment when you said "soul friendship" because I'm thinking, "Where is everyone even getting this term from?" AND THEN I REALIZED IT MIGHT BE FROM ME.  
>… AND THEN I WAS LIKE, "Do people actually read my responses to other people?" because I find that kinda fun and flattering that people even care what I have to say outside of what I write and I'm like WOW. Then again, maybe I'm just being completely cocky and nobody cares and it just so happens that everyone thinks of them as soulfriends. WHO KNOWS. Either way, I loved that. I died. It was amazing. YOU'RE pretty damn amazing. (;<br>Ohmygod. LOL. It's going to be a long way from now, I think, when anything happens between them. I don't even know what it'll be at this point asdfgnkwleb. BUT IT WILL HAPPEN. EVENTUALLY.  
>ARE WE KEEPING SCORE WITH KENTA AND ZERO? LOL. I wouldn't be surprised if it's like 28319 for Zero and like 371 for Kenta. –SLAPPED-<br>Sora has got game and he doesn't even know it, that little asdfgjkl. He's got a natural charm and charisma to him; you can get the girls training to be hunters are all over him.  
>Zero, to shed some light on that, did not think that Ivy was flirting with him. LOL. DOES THAT BOY EVEN KNOW WHAT FLIRTING MEANS? I don't know. Either way, Zero thought Ivy was just being Ivy. He didn't give too much thought about her in general, but he thought about being fussed over. TAKE THAT AS YOU WILL. ;D<br>Even after so long, I'm still not sure I'm delving into Zero's mind correctly. I feel like Zero, as a character, is full of contradictions. And as someone who has never been in his shoes, who hasn't created him like I created Ivy, I always worry that I'm not reading him right. But I guess that's also the joys of fanfic, right? People kind of get different things out of a character ( while hopefully keeping them relatively IN character) and that makes things different for every story and author. I don't know, it's weird. LOL.  
>Thank you so much for all your lovely thoughts! You made me laugh so many times; you're so delightful! I hope to hear from you again whenever you can, and I hope that this chapter made you as happy as you made me when I read everything you had to say!<p>

To **sirenmergirl**;

THANK YOUUUUUUU. HNNNG.  
>You didn't say much that I can comment on because I don't want to give anything away, but THANK YOUUU! Just that one line of text made me want to roll around on the floor because I felt so embarrassed and happy.<br>Thanks so much for spending an entire day reading whatever I had written, and for taking time to tell me about your thoughts! I appreciate it so much, and I hope that this chapter was worth the wait ( hopefully you're sticking around )!

**END OF RESPONSES**

OKOK, and now that leads us to the question of the chapter!

**QUESTION: Do you guys feel like how Ivy does in regards to Kaito and Yuuki? That confusion, and on her part, slight jealousy over whatever fondness there is? **

Please me your thoughts and theories in reviews or PMs or something! I would love to hear them!

I don't have much more to say; I gave my heartfelt speech in the beginning of the chapter. LOL. I just hope that you guys enjoyed this update and that I am, once again, sorry for the tardiness of it! I'll definitely try my best to update more in this year, but I'm not too sure how well THAT'S gonna go down... -SLAPPED-

I hope to see you guys again soon. TAKE CARE UNTIL THEN, OK? (x

Please leave me a review sharing me your thoughts, predictions, hates, criticism, whichever! I would love to hear from you.

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


	29. Law of Universal Gravitation

**DISCLAIMER: No, I do NOT own Vampire Knight or any of the characters. All rights belong solely to Matsuri Hino.**

**A/N:**

HELLO, LOVELY FRIENDS!

An update is here, and spring is on it's way, so let's keep it short and sweet:

I hope you guys enjoy this latest chapter! (;

* * *

><p><strong>Heterochromia.<strong>

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE;

_"Law of Universal Gravitation"_

* * *

><p><strong>WINTER BREAK—DAY SEVEN <strong>

"Be careful, sometimes the nozzle is—" But my warning was too late, and the maroon-haired model squeezed too hard, sending a stream of baby blue icing right into his face. For a moment, neither one of us moved. I was frozen a foot away, my arm outstretched because I had wanted to shove the nozzle away from his face, and he was as still as a statue, his face covered in icing as he held the tube up.

Then, because he looked so ridiculous, I burst out laughing. I couldn't even imagine how much his fans would pay to see the scene play out. I had to admit that it was adorable, but extraordinarily hilarious at the same time. When Shiki tried to wipe away the icing with his hand, it only smudged over his cheek more, and I ended up laughing until my sides hurt.

"Ivy-san."

Gasping for air, it took me a second to look over at Shiki—I had fallen to a crouch on the floor because I couldn't hold myself upright—but when I did, he moved so fast I didn't realize what happened until I felt the cool, squishy substance spreading across my own face.

I stared up at Shiki, my mouth opening like I wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say. He had just _swiped_ the icing along my cheek, and his features held faint satisfaction that he had done it, too.

I needed to retaliate.

Standing up, I snatched the white icing and, without hesitating, squirted it at him. He tried to dodge it, but instead of hitting him in the forehead, it just ended up getting on his nose. I felt my lips quirking upwards, one of my eyebrows rising like I was challenging him.

Our thoughts were on the same page as we both reached for the flour. Grabbing handfuls, we simultaneously threw it at one another. Small coughs left us as the white ingredient flew up and lingered in the air like snow dust, and I swatted a hand in front of my face in an attempt to clear it away.

When we could both see again, we looked at each other up and down. Shiki was completely covered in flour, from his hair down to his socks. It got into his hair, tainting the wild maroon locks, and dirtied his—most likely—brand name clothes. I had a feeling that I didn't look much better.

"S-Shiki, you—" I was struggling to breathe through my fits of laughter. I couldn't believe I had just engaged in a food fight with _the_ Shiki Senri. I hadn't ever expected something like that from him. He seemed a bit too calm and apathetic to participate in something as childish as a food fight.

"Ivy, I was wondering if you—" Satoshi stopped short, in both his sentence and footsteps. Shiki and I both turned to see him standing halfway into the kitchen, his eyes blinking at us.

An apologetic, sheepish smile crossed my face. "I promise I'll clean it up, Satoshi."

"I apologize." Shiki tried to dust off some flour from his clothes. "I didn't intend to create such a mess in your kitchen."

Instead of getting angry, Satoshi threw his head back and laughed. A large grin stretched across his face, and his eyes were bright with amusement. "It's fine as long as you guys clean up afterward. Make sure Lydia doesn't see, though." He was about to leave, but then he remembered he had more to say, poking his head back in. "Ivy, remember to escort Shiki to a guest bathroom and wash his clothes for him before he leaves, okay? He can borrow mine while his are in the wash."

"Yeah," I nodded my head. He had been saying something before he had entered the room, so I asked him curiously, "Did you need something?"

Shaking his head, he answered, "I was just going to check in to see if you guys were okay or finished yet. Arashi's been saying how he wanted to eat sweets, but I can see that you guys got distracted." He let out another laugh.

"We're almost done!" I insisted, beaming at him.

"I believe you, I believe you," Satoshi replied with a grin. "I'll let Arashi know he's got to wait a little longer." Then he disappeared off, presumably to let our youngest sibling know that he couldn't have his cake and cupcakes yet.

Looking at the aristocrat in front of me, I asked, "How about I clean up while you take a shower?" Although he was a mess, he didn't complain at all. In fact, he seemed almost slightly entertained by it.

Shaking his head and blinking as some flour fell from his hair onto his long eyelashes, he said, "I'll help you clean first."

When we finished cleaning up the kitchen so that it was spotless—thank the lord that Lydia didn't suddenly barge into the room upon returning from her trip to town—and had finished our showers so that we were no longer covered in ingredients, we ended up sitting at the island eating what we had baked.

"How was the Winter Dance?" I asked him curiously, eating a forkful of the chocolate cake we'd made.

"It was the same as all the other years," he answered nonchalantly.

"Do you have any pictures?" I knew that everyone had been absolutely breathtaking that night, but I wanted to see everyone's formal attire. I wanted to see the decorations that hung in the large ballroom, the people dancing and laughing, the food.

He swallowed the mouthful of cupcake he was eating, staring at it for a moment as if he couldn't believe he had made it, before he shook his head. "Many people had cameras with them, though."

"Of course." I grinned at him teasingly. "Everyone wanted to take pictures of the famous Shiki Senri dressed up with Touya Rima."

"They see us every day," Shiki pointed out flatly. He seemed so fascinated with the cupcake that I couldn't help but stifle a laugh. "It wasn't anything special."

"I'm sure that they didn't think so. I mean, they got to see the entire Night Class dolled up in fancy suits and elegant dresses. It's one of the only events where they get to actually speak and dance with you guys too, right?"

"I suppose. It was tiring."

A light-hearted grin. "Were there so many of your fans that you didn't get to rest at all throughout the night?"

He let out a barely audible sigh. "I don't understand how their vocal cords persist for so long."

"Was it really that bad?" I laughed. Picturing Shiki surrounded by screaming or squealing girls wasn't really a hard task. I saw it almost every time the Night Class left their dorm to go to class, after all.

Nodding, he said, "You need to be there to fully understand."

"There's always next year."

"Please, Ivy-san, let's not speak about next year's already."

"It'll be better next year!" I exclaimed encouragingly. I beamed at him. "I'll be there to ward off your fangirls."

Despite the fact that his facial features were apathetic, he held an air of dubiousness. "I don't think that'll work out."

I raised an eyebrow at him. What, he didn't think a vampire-hunter hybrid could take on a mob of obsessed girls? He wasn't giving me enough credit. "I'd make a great bodyguard."

"You sound very sure of yourself," was his blunt, flat response.

"You disagree?" I asked, trying to sound dangerous and threatening, but I couldn't keep the act up and ending up grinning at him instead.

His next words were unexpected. "You seem happier."

I blinked at him for a moment, stunned. "Pardon?"

"Compared to before break started," he clarified. His expressionless eyes dropped from mine to the table, and he rested his cheek against his fisted hand. He tilted his head a bit. "You don't seem as burdened."

"I seemed _burdened_ before the start of break?" Mystification tainted my tone.

"Very."

"Oh," was my ingenious response. I was silent as I flipped through my memories of what had happened before I left for my two weeks at training camp, and a few particular memories hit me. The threats exchanged with Sara, the conversation with Kaname. The conversation I had eavesdropped on between the Kuran Princess and her knight, and the words I had spat in his face.

Burdened? More like I had been about to slap everyone in the face.

"_Oh_." I frowned, then nodded to show him I understood what he meant. "I... Yeah. I was pretty angry and upset about a few things before I left. A lot of it had to do with myself, and another portion had to do with..." I trailed off, then ploughed on. "I managed to fix things up, though. I _do_ feel much better than I did before."

Shiki's blank eyes met mine, and he nodded like that was all he needed to hear. "I'm glad."

Later that night, after Shiki had left and it was nearing midnight, I was left staring blankly at the walls of my room. I had been given the turret room, which I absolutely adored. This tower was much larger than the other, so it was turned into a room that had much more space than needed.

Rectangular windows were spaced at even, medium-sized intervals along the walls of the semi-circle, so there was always lots of sunlight or moonlight. The ceiling and the windowsills were white, along with the long, cloth drapes that hung from the tops of the windows down to brush the cream-carpeted floor. The wall was painted a rich, deep violet colour that reminded me of plums. My twin-sized bed had been shoved up to the wall where one side of the windows ended, the sheets and comforter white with lavender embroiders, the pillows various shades of purple.

I remembered the reason I wanted it to be lilac-themed was because back then, I still couldn't get the twins out of my mind.

My eyes fell from the three-piece flower painting hanging in the wall in front of me down to unread page in my novel.

They hadn't paid me a visit today, either. It was strange. Unusual. If they were angry—and I knew without a single doubt in my mind that the Tashiro grandparents were beyond _furious_ with me—then they would have normally barged in here the moment they knew of my presence. And they _had_ to know I was here, because I was sure they kept tabs on me. At all times.

But they didn't come, and I didn't understand why. Was it because Zero was here, and they didn't want him to witness anything that would jeopardize their despicable attempts at brainwashing him? Was it because my siblings were here?

I tried to pinpoint a reason for it. It wasn't as if I _wanted_ them to come, but I would rather get it over with sooner than later.

Sighing, I shook my head. I knew it was useless to think about it, because they would visit when they would visit. It wasn't as if I could stop them from coming even if I wanted to. It was best to get our discussion done and over with, because I felt the weight of their orders suffocating me a bit more each day. It was becoming unbearable.

Still, my heart felt restless.

My mind, in an attempt to move away from something disgustingly unpleasant to something more heartwarmingly sweet, immediately conjured up what had happened yesterday night.

Zero and I had remained that way for a while, neither one of us saying anything or making a sound. I wasn't sure how Zero had felt about it, but I had been content. The moment—if you could have even called it that—only lasted a while before Arashi had shifted in his sleep and grabbed onto Zero's hand. He wouldn't let go, his grip firm. The silver-haired hunter didn't seem to mind, though.

He had fallen asleep eventually while I had been reading. It had been a lovely sight to behold, and I had spent so long trying to imprint it into my memory. To see Zero asleep with my brother next to him—it made me want to let them stay that way forever. I had never seen Zero with such a peaceful expression on his face, had never seen him look so vulnerable or seen the crease between his eyebrows disappear or the downwards slant of his lips.

Sleeping like that, he had looked like an angel.

The thought of him made my heart calm, and I felt myself smile slightly.

I didn't know what it had been, but as I had been watching Zero asleep with Arashi next to him, I had felt an enormous surge of emotion that almost made me explode.

If I had to be honest, I was too scared to try and understand it.

* * *

><p><strong>WINTER BREAK—DAY EIGHT <strong>

"_Ivy_?" A familiar voice sounded from behind me, sounding like he was in disbelief. I heard a small, quiet "Oh" from another person that I could also recognize.

Whirling around, I grinned at my two former group members. They were both dressed appropriately for the weather, clad in thick jackets, scarves, hats, and gloves. "Daiki, Sora! How have you guys been?"

Daiki merely stared at me with his wide, light topaz eyes. It was like he was shocked I existed outside of camp. Nothing about him looked different, which wasn't surprising since it had only been a week since camp ended.

Next to him, Sora pulled down his knitted scarf to speak properly. "We've been fine. You?"

"Fantastic," I responded, beaming at them. They had skates on their feet, which wasn't surprising since we were at a skating rink. Neither of them looked nervous or out of place—I had a feeling that they knew what they were doing.

"Yes, Ivy, _please_ wait five hundred million years before—" Lydia's sentence was cut short when she turned around from scowling at Gin to look at the people in front of me. Immediately, she raised her eyebrows and placed her hands on her hips. "And you two are? I'm telling you right now that you don't _want_ her, even if I'd let you have her."

Rolling my eyes at her with a smile, I wrapped an arm around Lydia's waist and said, "This is my older sister, Lydia." Gesturing to the two in front of me, I said as I pointed to the person respectively, "Inamura Daiki and Shizuki Sora."

Sora bowed respectfully, and Daiki followed suit hastily a few seconds later. "It's nice to meet you," they both said in unison.

"Sure," came Lydia's flippant response. She peeled my arm off her waist like I was an insect not worthy of touching her, then jerked her chin in the direction of where the rest of my family was waiting. "Do you want to learn how to skate or are we allowed to just leave you flailing hopelessly on the ice?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I told her with a laugh.

"You don't know how to _skate_?" Daiki asked incredulously, seeming recovered from his initial surprise at seeing me again. In all honesty, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be offended or not by his reaction.

Blinking, I directed my attention to the fourteen-year-old and shook my head with a sheepish smile. "Not at all."

"Okay, you know what? _Fine_. Find some other people to teach you, or fall and crack you head on the ice and see if I care." Lydia huffed, flipping her short hair before making her way back to the ice rink, where everyone else was already gliding around. I watched her as she got on the ice, effortlessly catching up to Gin.

"Don't mind her," I told the two, chortling at their expressions. "Lydia acts like that, but she's honestly very caring and loving."

"If you say so," Daiki muttered under his breath.

Sora tilted his head over to Daiki. "He can teach you how to skate."

"You can?" I asked Daiki, who let out a surprised, "_What_?" at the same time. Seeing the stunned expression on his face, I immediately shook my head. "No, it's okay. You guys came together to have fun, right? You don't need to teach me anything. I have my siblings, and besides—"

At Sora's jab to the stomach, Daiki protested, "No, trust us! It's not going to be a bother. We haven't seen you since camp ended, and it'd be nice to know what you've been up to since break started."

I glanced in between them, uncertain. What he said was true, but I knew that they didn't come here expecting to waste their time teaching their previous instructor how to skate. I could always ask someone else or just fall around until I was able to get the hang of it.

Apparently, I didn't have much a choice though, because Daiki grabbed onto my wrist and began heading over to the ice rink. Sora maintained his spot next to me as I stumbled after the taller male.

"D-Daiki, I can't walk very well in—" The dark-haired brunette next to me reached out and clasped his hand on my shoulder once I began wobbling. I flashed him a grateful smile. "Thanks."

"Oi, slow down," Sora told Daiki, sighing.

"S-Sorry!" he exclaimed, an apologetic smile on his face. When we reached the edge of the rink, right before the black floor turned into ice, we stopped. Sora got onto the ice first, then Daiki. They made it look so easy—they just stepped on it like they were walking. I could do that, right?

Breathing in nervously, I reached out to grab onto the waist-high barrier that lined the rink. Music from speakers hanging around the room blared out music, and in front of me on the ice, people zoomed by with so much grace, it made me envious. It looked so fun.

I placed one foot on the ice, my hands gripping the wall so tightly that they were turning white, and exhaled in relief. It seemed to be going okay. Then I placed the other foot on, and immediately all thoughts of it being _okay_ vanished, because I was flailing my arms trying to keep my balance.

The two of them grabbed my arms in an attempt to steady me.

"Is this your _first_ time skating?" Daiki asked, letting out a sigh of relief when I was no longer thrashing.

Nodding my head, I let out a slightly shaky laugh. "This... is a lot scarier than I thought."

"Don't worry, it's easy," Daiki reassured me.

"If you need me," Sora started, "I'll be around." Then he spun on his skates and began moving down the ice rapidly, leaving me to stare at him in awe. He _was_ really good at it. Looking around, though, most people were. I saw Trance moving with Arashi—he was better than me at it by a million times already—while Gin and Lydia were skating with their hands interlocked, doing spins together almost as if they were figure skating. Satoshi and Zero were having a race around the rink; their coats blew out from behind them, their hair swaying with every movement. They were moving so fast, I didn't understand how they weren't toppling over.

"_Sora_!" Daiki hollered, but the younger male just lifted a hand up in a wave and continued on his way.

"Sorry," I apologized as he looked at me. "I didn't mean to ruin what you and Sora had planned for the day."

Shaking his head, Daiki frowned slightly and said, "No, that's not it." Taking in a deep breath, he said, "Okay. We'll start off slowly, I guess." He took my hands in his, his face flushing red from the cold, and took position to skate backwards. But then he frowned.

"What's wrong?" I asked, blinking at him.

"I, uh, can't skate backwards." The words came out of his mouth in an embarrassed tumble. His ears were tainted with crimson, and he frowned even more deeply than before. He ran a hand through his blond-brown hair, mussing the strands up.

Laughing, because he looked so ashamed that he couldn't, I beamed at him. "That's okay. I can't skate forwards _or _backwards."

"I'll..." he made a vague gesture with his hand. "I'll pull you along slowly until you think you got the hang of it. How does that sound?"

"It sounds fine," I answered with a grin. The moment he started skating forward, though, I could already feel myself wobbling. My stomach clenched. "Whoa, I think that maybe this is a bit too unstea—" I caught myself with my hands before falling on my face. My knees ached a bit from the impact, but a good thing about being a vampire was that I was able to take this stuff easily.

Daiki opened his mouth. Shut it. Then he offered me his hand. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

Before I could reach out and take his hand, someone skidded to a sudden stop behind me. I felt too hands gripping my ribs firmly but gently, and then before I knew what was happening, I had been lifted up. I looked behind me in surprise to see Satoshi there, an amused smile on his face. He set me back down carefully on the ice.

"Thank you," I told him with a laugh, giving him a hug. "Please don't tell me you saw me falling like an idiot."

"I witnessed it like I was in the front-row seat of a hockey game," came Satoshi's cheerful answer. He smiled kindly down at me. "You okay?"

"Just fine," I replied, my teeth flashing. I gave him a lame thumbs up.

He looked at Daiki, the smile still on his face. "I'm Tashiro Satoshi. And you?"

"Inamura Daiki," the fourteen-year-old introduced, his voice neutral. He was looking up at Satoshi like he couldn't believe he was meeting my older brother.

Nodding, Satoshi said, "It's nice to meet you. Please take care of Ivy." Ruffling my hair with a hand, the second oldest Tashiro sibling placed a brief kiss to the top of my head before skating away, heading straight for the back of a silver-haired hunter who seemed to sense Satoshi coming and picked up his speed.

"You—You have a lot of siblings," Daiki noted, his eyes trained on Trance and Arashi.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I love them all to bits." Brushing off the particles that got stuck to my trench coat, I raised my eyebrows at Daiki and, when he started pulling me along again, more slowly this time, I asked, "How's your break been so far?"

He shrugged. "It's been okay, just the usual family stuff. The exam is happening right after winter break, so my parents have been making me train a bit every day. It's not that big of a deal, though."

"I'm sure you'll do—fine." I had paused in the middle of my sentence when I had lost my equilibrium again and had been waving my spare arm around before Daiki steadied me. I was _not_ getting the hang of it. "Most hunters go to training camp more than once before taking the exam."

"I hope so," he mumbled. He darted me a glance. "And you? How's your break been? Did you do anything exciting?"

"Well, I'm skating for the first time," I laughed, but wobbled again and immediately stopped. Maybe laughing was putting me off balance. "And I'm super happy to be with my family again. My break has honestly been lovely so far. I'm glad that I bumped into you and Sora today, too."

"Yeah." Daiki turned his head away, lifting up his spare hand to cover his face even though I couldn't see it anyway. "Me too."

"Is something in your eye?" I asked him, frowning.

"No!" he exclaimed, whipping around to look at me too fast. It startled me so much that I ended up jolting, losing my balance yet again, and falling. I pulled Daiki down with me, and our heads banged against one another. We immediately pushed away from each other, clutching at our heads at the pain. Then we sat there staring at one another for a while before laughing, picking ourselves back up again—or, well, Daiki got up. He tried teaching me, but eventually gave up and just hoisted me onto my feet again.

After thirty-five minutes of hopeless stumbling on my part, I managed to convince Daiki to spend some time with Sora while I took a short break. He had been reluctant at first, but agreed in the end.

I was sitting on one of the benches that were rimming the rink, having been here for the last ten minutes watching my siblings' graceful movements, when someone sat down next to me.

Turning to look at him, I asked him curiously, my lips pulled upwards, "Who won the race?"

Zero shook his head. His eyes remained on the ice as he said, "It was a tie."

I laughed, taking a sip of my coffee. My cold hands were wrapped around the warm cup, and it felt heavenly. Amused, I stared at his handsome profile and pondered aloud, "Is there anything you _can't_ do, Zero?"

Because I felt like he was good at everything, talented in everything. He had amazing academic scores despite not studying or doing his homework—his prefect duties didn't allow him much time to do it anyways, if he had ever planned to—and he was athletic, leading him to be good at sports. He was considered the strongest hunter in the Association so far, and he was in line to be the future President. Not only that, but he was so attractive it was to the point of ethereal. And, to put icing on the cake, he had a pure, brilliant heart.

Scoffing lightly, as if he couldn't believe I even asked him that, he replied, "Plenty."

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow at him and asked, intrigued, "Like what?"

He slanted me a glance. Then he made a jab at me. "I can't stay up for weeks."

"Haha, you're funny," I replied sarcastically. I couldn't help smile at him, though. Noticing that his hands were in his pockets, I offered him the cup of hot coffee and explained when his expression turned questioning, "It can warm your hands up."

"Why don't you wear gloves?" His words were a declination, and I ended up taking a sip of the coffee again.

I made a face upon thinking about it. "I don't like the way gloves feel. I feel like they're really restrictive. And I like being able to feel the texture of the stuff I touch, as weird as that sounds. What about you? You don't seem to like gloves very much, either."

"Restrictive," he agreed quietly.

Beaming at him, I said, "Looks like genius minds think alike."

"Don't flatter yourself," the silver-haired hunter retorted, though he didn't sound like he meant it. His eyes shifted back onto the ice.

"Are your feet supposed to hurt?" I asked him after another sip of coffee. The drink kept my hands from freezing, yes, but it practically burned my throat as it went down. Despite my little break, they were still aching, from the heels to the balls.

He flicked me a glance, then his lavender eyes darted down to the skates I still had on my feet. "Yeah. People who skate often get used to it, or learn to ignore it."

"I see," I murmured. They must have crazy willpower or something, because my feet were killing me. "Do your feet hurt a lot, too?"

"Not yet."

Perplexed, I blinked at him. "Then why are you here?"

He didn't answer for a moment, didn't even look at me. I wondered what was going through his mind, because I wanted to know. I felt like he had a million reasons to be here, but five million that told me he shouldn't be sitting next to me. And a part of me was ecstatic that he was sitting here, having a conversation with me, rather than out there skating and having fun with the others.

When he spoke, he had evaded the question. "You're a hazard out there."

"I know," I admitted with a laugh, deciding to let it slide. I wasn't going to force him to say anything if he didn't want to. I felt like a part of me was too much of a coward to hear it, too. "I felt like I was about to crash into everyone. Thankfully, vampires are so sturdy. I'm sure that if I was a normal human or hunter, I would be waking up with bruises."

"I think you still will," he said.

"At least it's not that bad." I tilted my head back in order to finish the remains of my drink, swallowing it all down. I let out a sigh that came out as a puff of white.

Standing up, Zero looked down at me. "Let's go."

I looked at him in bafflement. "Where are we going?"

"Back onto the ice."

"You _just_ told me I'm a hazard while trying to skate. I don't think that I should be getting on anytime soon. I feel like I need to let everyone have some fun without worrying about a seventeen-year-old girl ramming into them."

He let out a soft sigh. "I'll teach you."

His words knocked me speechless for a moment, because he had never offered to teach me anything before. Admittedly, I had never needed help with anything that I needed to be taught, but nonetheless!

I stared up at him until I managed to remember what words were. "You will?" I shook my head immediately after asking. "I don't want to bother you. And besides, Daiki couldn't help me improve too much—"

"Tashiro." His tone of voice made me look up at him, and he was staring at me with eyes that seemed so reassuring, so secure that I couldn't help but find myself slowly easing up off the bench in defeat.

"Okay," I murmured. I was good enough to be able to walk decently on the flooring outside of the rink at this point, so I followed after Zero without falling flat on my face. I threw my empty cup into the trashcan as I passed, then stopped when we got to the rink entrance.

Zero got on first with ease. He turned around to face me, waiting.

"Is there some trick to getting on the ice without slipping?" I asked him, biting down on my lower lip nervously. "It's not like falling hurts all that much, but I'm a bit apprehensive about it now."

As if realizing that my skating skills were worse than he thought, he came a bit closer to the edge and slid a hand out of his pocket, holding it out for me. I stared at it like it was like a foreign object, then looked up at Zero, then back down to his hand.

"Are you sure you're okay if I—"

"If you're just going to stand there the entire time, you'll just be wasting our time," he cut me off. He said it nonchalantly, like it didn't matter. But when I met his eyes, he was staring at me expectantly, gently.

Inhaling, I hesitantly stretched my hand out towards his. I could feel my heart pounding, could feel my blood flying through my veins, feel my toes curl slightly. I didn't want to think about it.

Just as the tips of my fingers were about to touch his, I tentatively pulled away for a second. I felt like butterflies were creating a stampede inside of my stomach and it made me want to rethink this whole skating thing. Just for a second.

Slowly, gingerly, I rested my hand in Zero's.

His larger hand wrapped around mine, and then he began moving backwards a bit, putting more distance between us—or, well, giving me distance to get on the ice without having him block my way. My hand felt like it was on fire, and it spread all throughout my body. I felt some air get stuck in my lungs, but I told myself I was just being stupid.

After taking a moment to gather my courage, I stepped onto the ice carefully. When I managed to get both feet on steadily—I waited a heartbeat or two—I immediately looked up from my skates at Zero, opening my mouth. Excitement bubbled inside of me. "Zero, I—"

"Hazardous," he muttered under his breath as he caught me by the waist, his grip on my hand tightening. "It's not that difficult getting onto the ice, Tashiro."

"I got on without falling, I got on without falling! I mean, I ended up slipping, but that's only because I was so excited!" I exclaimed, elated. I didn't realize how close we were until I looked up at him enthusiastically, only to see the underside of his slender, tattooed neck that connected to the underside of his jaw and chin. The words died in my throat, and I felt blood rushing up to my face.

He glanced down at me, as if realizing I had suddenly lost my excitement, and I blinked up at him. "What?"

"Nothing." I smiled at him as his arm left my waist. "Thanks for catching me."

Zero glanced behind him briefly, then looked at me again. Taking my other hand with his, so he was holding both of mine with both of his, he began to skate backwards like Daiki had planned to do.

"W-Wait, Zero, I-I don't think—" I was stammering, and I hated myself for it. In all honesty, I wasn't sure if I was stuttering because of his hands holding mine or because of the fact that I was scared of slipping for the umpteenth time.

"Stop being so tense," he instructed. His skating was flawless, his movements smooth despite the fact that he was going so slowly. He kept his eyes trained on me, and I kept my eyes locked on our feet. "Bend your knees a bit. Tashiro," he paused, "at least _try_ to lift your feet up off the ice."

"I'll slip," I muttered, frowning. "I will slip and I'll fall again. I'm not exactly excited for that, after doing it five hundred times. Tripping on hard ice just kind of lost its magic after the first five falls."

Zero's hands tightened almost unnoticeably on mine. "Lift your foot up."

Did he expect me to keep protesting when he had offered me his silent encouragement? It was like he knew that I wouldn't be able to resist _trying_ when he did something like that, since it would make me feel guilty. I frowned for a moment, but then I shook my head. I was overjoyed at the fact that he was supporting me.

When I finally tried to do what he told me to, I ended up wobbling, but he was able to steady me quickly. He kept skating backwards, never bumping into anyone, never pulling me too fast or forcing me to do anything until I was ready.

"I think," I breathed after a few minutes, eyes wide, "I might be getting the hang of this."

"We're going at a snail's pace," he reminded me. "This is hardly considered skating." And then he was going a bit faster, pulling me along with him despite my flustered, horrified protests.

"Zero. _Zero_, I'm going to fall, I'm going to—"

"Focus on doing what you did earlier," he cut me off, his deep voice resounding in the two feet that separated us. "It's faster, but the idea is the same."

Eyebrows furrowing together in concentration, I endeavoured to do what he told me to. It was hard, because all I could imagine was myself falling again, but the bit of warmth his cold hands provided and the way they held mine acted as reminders that he would surely catch me if I was about to fall.

Keeping my eyes trained on my feet, I tried to mimic my actions from before. I kept shaking precariously, but Zero always managed to stabilize me before I went down. It took a while before I was able to do it more securely, but when I did, my head snapped up to the silver-haired hunter with a beam.

We picked up the pace a bit again, repeating the process. I began to wobble a bit less, but I had to focus hard. I hadn't fallen once since I had gotten back on the ice, and I was overjoyed at that fact. In fact, it was actually starting to become really, _really_ fun.

My eyes were bright, my cheeks flushed red from both the cold and the odd tingling sensations that bombarded me. I let out a breathless laugh at one point. "I can't believe I haven't fallen yet."

"It was amazing that you could fall that many times the first time," he retorted. "Try skating on your own. I'm going to let go."

"Are you crazy?" I demanded. The moment he stopped holding onto my hands, I would trip on the ice and hit my head, cracking my skull open.

"It'll be fine."

"What happens if—" My sentence was cut off when, instead of letting go, Zero yanked me towards him. I let out a surprised, terrified noise at the abrupt action, my skates sliding along the ice too quickly for comfort. Something whizzed by behind me, brushing against my back before I crashed into Zero's chest, sending him gliding backwards, though he didn't seem fazed by it at all. I felt his arm slip around my waist to keep me to him, the other still holding onto my hand, and I felt us turning, then stopping. I heard a loud crash, followed by an equally loud cuss.

My heart was threatening to break my ribs as I breathed in and out rapidly. With my face pressed into his chest like this, I could feel and hear his heartbeat—it sounded a bit strange to me, but then again, I _did_ slam into him. His enticing scent that was distinctly _him_ entered my system and made me feel dizzier than before.

"You okay?" he asked. I felt him shift down to look at me.

"Why did you—" I lifted my head up off his chest, flushing when I noticed there was hardly any space between us, and then dropped my gaze to stare at his exposed collarbone.  
>Zero loosened his hold on me, allowing me to turn around to see what had happened. Daiki sat on the ice, leaning back on one of his palms. He was rubbing his forehead with the other, wincing. It was really, <em>really<em> red.

Startled, I made my way pathetically over to where he was, grabbing onto the wall in order to stop. Zero followed me slowly. "Are you okay, Daiki?"

"I—yeah." He sounded so dazed. "I'm all good."

"You don't _sound_ good," I pointed out. I frowned at the red patch of skin on his forehead. "What happened?"

Sora skidded to a stop next to where Daiki lay, hands in his pockets. The tip of his nose was pink from the cold, but his cheeks didn't have extremely noticeable hints of colour. "That was my fault."

"What'd you _do_?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at him.

"Used too much strength, apparently," Sora muttered quietly. He extended a hand toward Daiki, who shook his head and slowly picked himself up off the ice. "You okay?"

"Yeah." He paused, then said, "You're an asshole."

Sora didn't seem deterred by it. "That was pathetic."

"_You_ were the one who was—" Daiki seemed to remember Zero and I were still there, stopping abruptly. He turned to look at us, a sheepish smile on his face. "I'm good. Thanks for worrying." His eyes flickered up to Zero, narrowing for a moment, before resting on me again.

Shaking my head, I let out a small, relieved laugh. "You guys should be more careful. That really looked like it hurt."

"Yeah." Daiki paused, then commented casually, "You seem to be getting the hang of skating."

I immediately brightened, clasping my hands together in front of me as I did so. "Really?" Unable to help it, a happy laugh escaped me, and I beamed. "That's so nice to hear."

"Yeah." The light-haired male's voice was a bit stiffer than before, causing me to look at him with mild confusion.

Sora glanced between us, his vivid, beautiful eyes still mostly obscured by his tresses of dark chocolate hair. He seemed to understand something I didn't, because he ended up sighing. Slinging an arm across Daiki's shoulders, he said, "We're going."

"Sora, let _go_ of me, or I will—"

"Later," the blue-eyed trainee said, signaling his farewell. His eyes remained on Zero and I long enough for him to see me wave at him, bewilderment written plain on my face, before turning away. "Tomorrow's Christmas. It's a bit early, but Merry Christmas." He pulled Daiki along with him as he started skating back to the exit of the rink, the older male flailing around and attempting to get out of the subtle headlock Sora had him in.

"Merry Christmas!" Daiki managed to get out as he was being pulled away.

I wanted to return the gesture, but I couldn't because they were going so fast. Watching as they got off the ice, I asked, "Do you think Daiki's okay?"

It took Zero a moment to respond. "He'll be fine."

The look on my face was skeptical, but I shook my head. He had been acting a little weird lately, ever since the latter end of camp. I needed to ask him or Sora about it, but I felt like today wasn't the best day. So instead of chasing after him—not that it would be considered much of a _chase_, anyway—I turned to Zero again and asked with a smile, "Do you mind teaching me for a while longer?"

His response was, "I'll wait until you get it right."

* * *

><p>"No! I want to stay up and wait for Mister Santa Clause!" Arashi exclaimed, folding his arms across his chest obstinately. He pointed at the plate of cookies he had gotten and the glass filled to the rim with milk, claiming, "Arashi already got him cookies and milk, so he has to come! I've been a good boy the <em>entire<em> year, too!"

"As if he'd come if you just sit there waiting for him," Lydia scoffed, placing her arms on her hips as she stared down at Arashi. "He doesn't visit the kids who stay up and try to scare him."

Shaking his head furiously, the youngest Tashiro explained, "I want to talk with him! Mister Santa Clause gets to sit on that box thingy and then these animals fly and pull it! The mooses! I want to ride in it, too! Do you think I can?"

"They're called reindeers, Arashi," Gin corrected, grinning widely. He flipped this morning's newspaper back to the front page, giving up on the daily crossword in it. "With all the presents that Santa has to carry, I'm not sure you'd fit."

"But I can make myself smaller!" As if to prove his point, he dropped onto the floor and curled himself into a small ball for a moment before pulling out of it. "See? And I want to ride on the moo—reindeers, too! Can't I ride it like a pony?"

"No way! There's a reason why Santa doesn't ride the reindeers. You'd end up falling off!" Gin sounded horrified. When he caught my gaze, his eyes twinkled. He winked at me so fast, I almost didn't catch it.

"_No_!" My younger brother made it sound like the world was ending. He let out an enormous gasp, looking around at us like he wanted someone to tell him it was a lie. Eyes wide, he asked, "No way! Zero, Ivy, Sato—Gin is lying, right? You _fall off_?!"

Satoshi gave Gin a brief glance out of the corner of his eyes, the look on his face saying, _Thanks for making a happy holiday seem so brutal_, but when he turned to look at Arashi, he nodded his head solemnly. "You can't ride the reindeers, Arashi."

"B-But—" His eyebrows pulled together, and he bit down on his lower lip. "But it looks like... Like _zoom, zoom_!" Arashi made a quick motion with his arm, extending it quickly to the sky.

Glancing at the clock, I realized it was nine in the evening. I highly doubted Arashi would be able to last past ten, since he always used up so much energy during the day. Not only that, but we ended up playing in the snow today before _and _after skating—he had been running around a lot, and had to push pretty big snowballs to create his snowman. Looking at him now, despite the way his eyes glittered, his eyelids were drooping slightly.

"How about I read you a book while we wait for Santa?" I suggested. Everyone in the room turned and looked at me like I was crazy, since I was going against what they were all trying to make him do. I gave them all pointed looks that said even if we let him stay up, he wouldn't be able to.

I was right. Because twenty minutes after we had started reading, he had fallen asleep. I carried him back up into his room, setting him down gently on the bed and pulling the blankets up over him. He stirred slightly, mumbling something about cookies in his sleep, but he didn't wake up.

After kissing his forehead briefly, I made my way back down the stairs and into the living room. Lydia and Gin had already started eating the cookies shamelessly, while Zero had passed on it. Satoshi was drinking the milk.

Catching my stare, Lydia raised an eyebrow at me. "What, you want a cookie? You don't need to give me the stink-eye. How feisty."

"No, I don't want a—" But it was too late, because she had already tossed one at me. I made a face as I tossed my head back and opened my mouth, catching the tree-shaped gingerbread cookie by the trunk.

"Nice." Gin grinned his approval.

"Jeez," I mumbled as I bit into it and held it in a hand. Taking a seat next to Zero, I asked, "Nobody's going to come over tomorrow, right?"

Shaking his head, Satoshi said, "No, everyone's going to spend it with their families."

"They better be," Lydia muttered. Scoffing, she said, "I'm going to strangle someone if they come over tomorrow. Having them come over tonight for the stupid Christmas Eve feast was too much for me already. They're like wild dogs."

"You're louder than half of them _combined_," I retorted with a grin. EX5 and the Cross Academy gang had come over again for another celebratory dinner, since tomorrow was Christmas. It was just as boisterous and disorderly as the last time, but it had been just as much fun. We ended up all swapping presents after dinner before they left, since none of them were sure if they would have enough time to pay us another visit.

"Shut up," Lydia ordered.

"We should probably bring all the presents down," Satoshi commented, his eyes falling onto the space underneath the Christmas tree. Quite a few presents were already there, but that was all stuff from EX5 and the Academy crew. "Imagine what Arashi's reaction would be like if we forgot."

"He'd probably cry," I admitted.

"Probably," Lydia and Gin agreed. My older sister let out a small grunt as she pushed herself up off the couch, rubbing the tips of her fingers together over the plate to get rid of any crumbs that stuck. The rest of us followed suit, preparing to go upstairs and get our mass of gifts to bring down.

Most of my gifts were ones that either came in boxes or were able to fit in one, so it wasn't very hard to stack all of them on top of one another and then make my way down the stairs. Admittedly, the stack was pretty high, so it managed to obscure a good chunk of my vision—I crashed into the wall once or twice since I couldn't see where I was going—but I didn't need to make my numerous trips up to my room.

When I managed to manoeuvre my way into the living room, Satoshi and Zero were already setting theirs down. They looked up at me as I entered, and Satoshi laughed before taking some out of my hands. Theirs were just like mine—wrapped and in various shapes and sizes of rectangles. Lydia and Gin came down a few moments later, arguing about something under their breaths, which was probably why it had taken them so long.

Trance didn't bring his presents down, but I had a feeling he would be doing it when everyone was in bed. I saw him every single day, and I spent hours within his presence, yet I hardly ever communicated with him. The distance between us seemed to continuously grow even though we were physically closer than we were before—it was like spending more time in his presence was making it clearer to me that it would never be the same as before.

We spent a while lounging in the living room, talking about a ton of things that were fascinating but not always significant. It was a group discussion rather than one where everyone had their own little talks—it was nice, because everyone knew what everyone else was talking about. Zero fit in well, and although he was rather polite and respectful—sort of—in general, he seemed to be much more casual and relaxed compared to the first day. It was like he wasn't worried anymore about us ripping his head off whenever he spoke.

Everyone retired to their rooms before midnight, but I stayed behind for a bit after everyone left, staring at the piles of gifts that were resting underneath the tree. There were seven of us in this household, but we all received gifts from EX5 and from Yagari, Kaito, and Kaien. There were so many gifts piled up underneath the tree, all stacked nicely and somehow all fitting.

Daintily, I brushed my fingers over a small, thin present wrapped in shiny black wrapping paper with snowflakes on it, a blue bow in the upper corner. It was something I got for Zero, but I wondered if he would like it.

I wondered if it would have the opposite effect than what I hoped for.

Sighing, I let my hand drop. Shaking my head, I stood up and headed back to my room, turning the lights of the living room off as I went.

Thinking of tomorrow made me nervous, anxious, and apprehensive all at once, but I had to admit that a part of me was excited.

After all, I couldn't help but wonder; what had he gotten me?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

That marks the end of the twenty-ninth chapter of Heterochromia!

Can you guys believe the next chapter is going to be the 30th? Honestly, I never planned for Heterochromia to come so far, or to be so long. But it has, and I'm enjoying it, so I hope you guys are, too!

I hope y'all appreciate the small scene with Shiki in the beginning; I felt like there was no way Ivy and Shiki wouldn't have met up at _some _point during the break. I had so much fun writing their portion just because I love them so much. HAHA.

Some more ZeroxIvy fluff, so I hope that was nice for you guys too!

LOTS OF LOVE AND THANKS TO:

**Captaintsukiko34, Guest / xxFangirlingduck , Ketsueko, kalmaegi, thecoldforest, Secret Companion, rachel101448, crystalmirage156, scarsneverheal, anayu123, Millie Von Yearn, Millie Von Yearnhart, PepperCornPie, magicdemi-god223, sirenmergirl, Juliedoo, Hhtrrrrt, and Klutzomaniac**

Also, thank you so much to all those who favourited and alerted! (:

And as always, I need to apologize for any grammar errors, spelling mistakes, and OOCness with Zero that may have occured.

**RESPONSES, LEGGO!**

To **Ketsueko**;

ASDFGHJKL. I'm so glad that your assignments worked out! You're like a hazard, man. I would've been so upset for you if your homework had been entirely ruined HNNG. Honestly, I didn't really do anything; it was your skills and your... uhm, _enthusiasm _that got you an A. HAHAHA.  
>I find it so funny how you fangirl over Trance even though he's so... <em>moody. <em>I have a better way of describing him aside from moody, but maybe that's not appropriate. LOL. –SHOT-  
>It's not that Ivy <em>hates <em>Yuuki, exactly. It's more like Ivy's so frustrated with the entire situation that she can't bring herself to _like _Yuuki, either. She knows that Yuuki's a really good person, but Ivy just can't understand why she does what she does, and it doesn't make sense to her. Despite knowing that Yuuki's a good person, Ivy just doesn't want much to do with her.  
>HE'S ONLY SIX, GIVE HIM SOME MORE TIME SOB.<br>I finally updated, so I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! Thank you so much for being so faithful and for all your hilarious stories! (:

To **kalmaegi**;

LOOOOOL, IT'S OK! I was really happy to receive your thoughts! I think it's always super thoughtful of people to review on chapters as they catch up, instead of just leaving one at the very end that encapsulates everything, y'know what I mean? It just seems a bit less messy, and shows a lot of consideration. SO THANK YOU! LOL. I FELT YOUR LOVE.  
>UGH, even as I was writing that, when Arashi compared Zero and Ivy to Gin and Lydia, I died. I had to take a moment to just bask in him saying it. I couldn't handle the feelings it gave me.<br>Oh, god, that sounds almost BAD. LOL. I'm sorry the romance might be taking what seems like eighteen bajillion years [ and another ten on top of that ], but it will arrive. One day, love. One day.  
>It's been a little while since I updated, so now I'm hoping you're able to enjoy this update in warmer weather! Thank you for your thoughts, and I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter! ;D<p>

To **crystalmirage156**;

Aww, thank you so much! I'm extremely happy to know you've enjoyed both! To be honest, I'm surprised that Heterochromia's your favourite, since I know a lot of people love Shitsuren, but in a really amazing way. Since Heterochromia has a special place in my heart, I'm just like "ASDFGGJK" to know it's someone's favourite.  
>Nono, thank <em>you<em> for reading! I know I probably don't say it enough or express it very well, but Heterochromia wouldn't have even gotten past the first few chapters if it weren't for all the lovely, amazing people who always come back to read what I've written. It definitely takes time to write it all, but I write because I really love it. It takes time for you guys to _read _it, too. So thank _you _for taking precious time out of your life to do so. You're lovely. (:  
>Trust me, Ivy's thought of it. Multiple times. But she's trying really, really hard to control herself. LOL.<br>NOOO, give me all the smiles! I love them. I use them all the time. All day, every day. ;D  
>Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me! I'm so glad you've enjoyed everything so far, and I hope this update is no different! I hope to hear from you again more often! (x<p>

To **scarsneverheal**;

UGH, THE THOUGHT OF ZERO BEING A DAD KILLS ME. PLEASE. I just can't handle the thought, because it just... the words... they won't... he'll be so... MY HEART CAN'T.  
>It's good to know you're still alive! LOL. Thanks for dropping by again. I'm super happy to know that something I've written or done has been able to help lift a rather bad day! Hopefully, you aren't having them often. HNNG.<br>Thank you so much for offering me your support, encouragement, and loyalty! That means so much to me, and I hope I don't disappoint you! (:

To **magicdemi-god223**;

OHOHOHO, thank you! I'm delighted to know you enjoy my OCs, even though there are five hundred of them. I know it causes a lot of confusion and it can make things so messy, but I felt like it was necessary to make them in order to explore the world of the hunters. So I'm glad it's been working out and that none of them are too... blargh, y'know? (:  
>You know, I've always found it so weird when the romance is rushed. Because Zero is known to have loved Yuuki for so long, and so deeply. I just can't imagine him forsaking that feeling. It doesn't really work that way. I also know that I might be taking things <em>too <em>slowly, which is annoying and frustrating in of itself, but I hope that everyone will bear with me until the romance kicks in. HNNG.  
>Thank you so much. You're being incredibly kind! Trust me when I say that Heterochromia will <em>most definitely <em>reach a conclusion one day, and I hope that everyone will be with me 'til the end!  
>I'm SO sorry for giving you false hope about a longer chapter. I <em>know <em>how disappointing that can be, but I also think that some people enjoy having them more public in general. I don't know this as a fact, but I think sometimes people take the time to look through replies just to see what's up, but it gives them more insight sometimes? I don't know, but I think I'm going to keep doing them the way I've always done. It seems odd to just switch suddenly. I'm sorry about that. HNNG. MAYBE JUST... Just assume that the chapter only takes up 3/4ths? SOB. SORRY. Please don't hesitate to mention anything else that may bother you!  
>Thanks for being so supportive and kind and lovely! I hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter! (:<p>

To **sirenmergirl**;

I'm hungry. The chip analogy did not help. I want chips now. And cookies. And pie. And pasta. Lots of it. I basically just want all the food now. I feel your struggle with that one chip. I'M SO SORRY.  
>LMAO. Zero's just an idiot. That probably isn't a very nice thing to say, especially because this is my own interpretation of him, but yeah. Basically I see him as that self-loathing moron that's so stubborn, he might as well be a wall. I'm sorry he's so frustrating, but one day it will get better. ONE DAYY.<br>The thing with Trance will take a while to unravel, just because he's doing everything to _not _be around her and she's just like, "But I—well he—and there's—" and she ends up not knowing what to do. Basically, they don't do anything, so nothing happens. LOL.  
>YOU KNOW WHAT, that made me so angry about Yuuki. Like, it didn't make <em>sense <em>to me why people loved her so much. I know that it's a fictional world and everything, but I just don't see it. I get why Zero fell in love with her [ despite thinking it's stupid ] and Kaname, sure. But I just... everything else is... UGH.  
>To answer your question, yes! Technically speaking, other vampires could drink  ingest the blood EX5's bodies reject. But most vampires wouldn't really even consider it; they would rather go for a bite in the neck or whatnot. The blood their body disposes of is their "normal" blood, so it isn't as enticing as the blood their body is currently producing, which gives other vampires [ if given the choice ] a better reason to go for a bite. My lord, thanks for asking me that! LOL. I love answering questions as well, and that was such a neat one! I hope my answer clarified that for you a bit (:  
>Thank you so much for being an amazing human bean and for sharing your thoughts with me! I love hearing from you, and am so grateful for your support. I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! (x<p>

To **Klutzomaniac**;

Firstly, thank you so much for even deciding you'd give this story chance! I know that OC fanfics aren't always people's cup of tea, so I'm always delighted to know people even _try _this out. It's very flattering, and if y'all end up liking it, that makes it all the better. (:  
>YES! I know that I have so many OCs that it may get confusing, but I feel like they're necessary in order to further develop the world of the hunters. I mean, we all know that the Association exists and all that, but the manga never got into it. We never got exposure to a lot of hunters or the way things worked, and I've always been so interested in the Association. So I'm so relieved to know you enjoy that as well!<br>That's such a high praise that I'm hesitant to even say anything as a response. LOL. It's always hard to write someone else's character because the _essence _of the character is hard to encapsulate if you haven't grown with them. But thank you so much for thinking I've captured him; it's so flattering. And I'm glad I make you laugh sometimes. HAHA.  
>Oh, trust me. How oblivious Ivy is frustrates the hell out of me too. Sometimes I'm writing about her and Kenta or something, and even <em>I <em>want to hit her upside the head. But I think that it's good she's able to evoke that emotion in you, too. I think it makes her seem more... realisitc? HAHA. I hope that as the story progresses, your thoughts on Kenta and Ivy's relationship shifts a bit as they grow!  
>I KNOW. SOB. I know what it's like when an author never updates or doesn't update frequently enough. I'M SO SORRY ABOUT THAT. And all you lovely people are <em>always <em>so nice about it, and I can't say sorry enough for it. But I really try to write whenever I can! Summer is approaching, and even though I'll still be attending summer semesters and working a lot, I'm hoping to have time to write more often as well! Thank you so, SO much for being so patient with me and for being so considerate. I know the wait can be agonizing, so you're wonderful for putting up with it. I PROMISE I won't forget about you guys [ how could I when you guys are the bomb dot com? ], and that Heterochromia will reach completion one day!  
>Thank you for all your kind words, your encouragement, and your support! It's always people like you and words that you've said that inspire me. An extra thank you for that. I've <em>finally <em>updated, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**END OF RESPONSES**

There were quite a few I responded to this time, so sorry for the walls of texts! Even so, I didn't even manage to get to reply to everyone I would've wanted to. So I'm sorry that I might not have gotten back to you, but know I really, REALLY wanted to! HNNG.

Thank you to everyone that put in their review their understanding of Ivy's sentiments! This time...

**QUESITON: Daiki or Sora? Why?**

Short and smple, like I said in the beginning author's note! Please share with me your thoughts and feelings on one or both of these two! I would most definitely love to hear about them. HAHAHA.

I'm hoping my next update will happen soon, and I'm really working towards that! So I hope you guys look forward to it; I know the Winter Break Arc seems incredibly long, but I think that's also just because the time between my updates is so long. I hope you guys are enjoying it along with me, or can bear with me until it's over!

Thank you, as always, for all your lovely support and encouragement! Where I am, spring is coming. The sun comes and goes, but it's getting there. Wherever you guys are, I hope you're having a great day and enjoying whatever weather is being thrown at you!

See you guys in the next one; take care!

XOXO,  
>-EverlastingxSong-<p> 


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